Therapy for adults adjusting to life as a new parent. We help you make sense of the changes and find a way through them that works for you and your family.
Becoming a parent is one of the biggest changes in adult life. Research describes it as a critical period for parents' health and wellbeing. For mothers, this process is sometimes called matrescence. It tends to affect four areas, often all at once.
Working out who you are now, alongside being a parent.
Less time together, more to negotiate, and changes in how you connect. Relationship satisfaction often dips after a baby arrives.
Changes to your career, finances and daily structure, including returning to work.
Recovery from birth, broken sleep and less time for yourself.
Feeling unsettled by these changes is common, and support can help you adjust.
Common signs include:
If low mood or anxiety is affecting your day-to-day life, see postnatal depression and anxiety.
We talk through what has changed, what you miss and what matters to you now.
This usually covers:
Bringing together who you were before and who you are now as a parent.
Talking about roles, sharing the load and staying connected.
Planning a return to work, or a change in how you work.
Finding realistic ways to rest and keep doing things that matter to you.
Sessions draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). CBT helps you work with unhelpful thinking patterns and manage stress. ACT helps you handle difficult thoughts and feelings while acting on what matters to you.
Viviana Cavuoto is a registered psychologist and registered nurse with more than 10 years' experience across public and private hospitals and local government Maternal and Child Health services.
To claim a Medicare rebate, ask your usual GP for a Mental Health Treatment Plan and a referral to Viviana Cavuoto at Mentum Psychology. To find out more, read how to get a referral.
Matrescence is the process of becoming a mother. The term was coined by the anthropologist Dana Raphael in 1975 to describe the physical, emotional and social changes of new motherhood, in the same way adolescence describes becoming an adult. Partners go through big changes too, and we work with both.
No. Many parents find the change hard without having depression or anxiety. If your mood is affecting daily life, our postnatal depression and anxiety page has more information.
No. Adjusting to parenthood isn't limited to the first year. Sessions can help whenever you're finding it hard.
Sessions are mostly by video or phone, which can be easier to fit around a baby. Some face-to-face sessions in Highett and Keysborough may be available on request, subject to room availability.
Yes. You can book privately. A GP referral is only needed to claim a Medicare rebate. Read how to get a referral.