Get to Know Susan Prince - Perinatal Therapist and Fertility Counsellor
Susan Prince is an experienced Mental Health Social Worker who has worked extensively in the perinatal field. Susan provides some insights on accessing psychological support during fertility, pregnancy, birth or the postpartum period.
What are some common reasons why new or expectant mothers might seek out your services?
New or expectant mothers face many and varied challenges, many of which they did not predict. Becoming a parent involves a whole new identity for parents – a baby comes into being, but so too does a mother. Parents can seek out support for many reasons including concerns about bonding, changes to mood (onset of low mood, anxiety and feelings of overwhelm), birth trauma and other difficulties adjusting to becoming a parent.
Becoming a parent changes our identity and often new or unexpected challenges can arise. These changes are often unwelcome and unfamiliar and therefore can cause concern. We may even find ourselves longing for things to return to what we previously experienced prior to the birth. Accessing therapy allows us to explore these changes, the effects they have on our lives and relationships and find new ways to manage the physical, emotional and social effects of entering parenthood.
It’s daunting to think about going into therapy, is it normal to need this type of help in pregnancy or the postnatal period?
Pregnancy is often described as a time of joy and anticipation, if not a vast amount of change and adjustment. Because of this significant change, it also common for expectant parents to experience a wide range of emotional ups and downs. Alongside the physical changes that come with pregnancy, there are often emotional ones that can feel confusing, overwhelming, or even isolating.
If you’re finding it hard to cope emotionally during pregnancy, it doesn’t mean you’re failing in any way. These emotional challenges are part of the journey for many, many people—and support is available. Therapy can provide a valuable opportunity for navigating this stage and I welcome the opportunity to work with you using an approach which values clarity, kindness, and confidence in your new role.
How can therapy support emotional wellbeing during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a time of change, but also an opportunity for growth and learning. With the right support, it can be a time to build emotional strength, connection, and confidence in yourself as you move forward into parenthood. Therapy during pregnancy can assist in these ways….
Normalising your experience, hearing, “You’re not alone.” It can be immensely helpful to know we are not alone in feeling uncertain and overwhelmed.
Exploring identity changes: Pregnancy can shift how you see yourself—your body, your career, your relationships, your priorities. Therapy allows space to explore and adjust to these changes.
Supporting partner relationships: If you’re in a relationship, therapy can help you and your partner communicate more clearly and understand each other’s needs during this time of transition.
Preparing for parenthood: Whether it’s your first child or not, therapy can help you reflect on your values, hopes, fears, and intentions as a parent.
Learning to adjust to the emotional challenges of early parenthood including regulating our own emotions, attuning to our baby’s needs and effective stress management
Processing past experiences: If you’ve had previous loss, trauma, or difficult pregnancies, therapy can help you work through uncertainty, grief and fear in a safe and supportive setting.
Can I access counselling if I’m trying to conceive or experiencing infertility?
Experiencing difficulties conceiving and receiving a diagnosis of infertility represents a significant crisis in the lives of many couples. Couples can find themselves very suddenly faced with difficult and complex decisions about treatment options, likelihood of success, potential alternative pathways to parenting and feel ill-equipped to make these decisions, let alone with time pressures due to age or other medical factors. Fertility counselling pays attention to these factors and seeks to offer individuals and couples a safe place to explore the many emotions that are present, consider the options available and find ways of talking about new and complicated issues they haven’t needed to navigate previously.
As with all life crises, infertility does not occur in a vacuum, but rather in the context of our lives and relationships and for this reason, my commitment is to provide a treatment approach which pays careful attention to the impact of the infertility experience on clients’ relationships and broader context. Couples find it helpful to discuss the different ways they are approaching the infertility journey and to address differences to minimise damage to their relationship. As a fertility counsellor, I am very interested in the question of how couples look after each other through this difficult period. With support for the right approach, the journey of infertility can be strengthening for relationships despite the stressors.
What if I feel guilty for not enjoying pregnancy or early parenting?
Many prospective and new parents present with feelings of guilt that they find themselves not enjoying all aspects of their pregnancy and early parenting. These feelings can be heightened for those who have suffered infertility or other forms of reproductive loss as the pregnancy and birth has been such a long-anticipated event, often resulting in higher expectations and greater potential for disappointment when these expectations are not met. I’ve worked with many new parents who have found therapy can be helpful for addressing these emotions – giving permission for them, exploring their history and development and reassessing expectations according to their values and intentions for their parenting, not the expectations of others.