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What sorts of useful information might perinatal context afford? How might we start to explore this sensitively with a young person’s parents or caregivers? In the second of two blog posts about the importance of including perinatal history in assessment, Florence Nadaud, child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapist, urges us not to skip the opening chapters of our clients’ lives.

Enquiring as far back as pregnancy and birth can reveal the best path forward for therapy, regardless of our clients’ age. In some cases, clinical formulation can even hinge on it. In the first of two blog posts on taking perinatal histories, Florence Nadaud, child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapist, shares her work with one young person whose traumatic birth story shed new light on his current difficulties – and, just as crucially, helped her to reflect on parental and professional attitudes towards his presentation.

A pregnant woman doesn’t just share her body with the growing baby – she shares her state of mind. To mark the start of Maternal Mental Health Month, Sue Gerhardt, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and author of the landmark Why Love Matters, explains why supporting pregnant women is vital for the physical and psychological wellbeing of the next generation.