Therapeutic Interventions used at Hope in Mind Psychology

CFT can be so helpful to those struggling on their fertility and parenting journey. It helps people develop self-compassion, reducing the self-criticism, self-blame, and shame often associated with challenges such as infertility, baby loss, trauma, bonding and parental mental health concerns. By fostering a compassionate mindset, it enhances emotional well-being, reduces stress, and promotes healthier relationships. 

EMDR can be effective in addressing a number of mental health difficulties. It is most commonly used when there is one or more traumatic or distressing memories that need to be processed, in order to enable an individual to move forward. This is why it is so effective in the treatment of birth trauma, as well as fertility difficulties and loss. It involves side to side eye movements, or tapping, alongside talking therapy, and is carried out at the client's own pace. 

 When couples feel disconnected during fertility treatment or early parenthood, old patterns of withdrawal or conflict can take hold. EFT helps you understand these cycles and rebuild your bond during this challenging time. Together, we'll create a safe space where you can explore your relationship patterns, both partners can share their deeper feelings, be heard, and find ways to support each other. Whatever challenge you are facing, EFT can help you face them as a team. 

ACT helps people accept, and think differently about, the challenges they face, including their challenging thoughts and feelings. It encourages people to commit to the things that are important to them in life, that they have control over. By promoting psychological flexibility and value-based living, ACT enhances peoples' mental health, resilience, and their ability to cope with the demands of the fertility and parenting journey. 

CBT is used to help manage anxiety, depression, stress, trauma symptoms, and much more. It focuses on modifying unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that affect people's emotional well-being, and improves people's coping strategies along the fertility and parenting journey. 

VIG is used by perinatal clinical psychologists to enhance the parent-infant relationship. By viewing video recordings of interactions of themselves and their baby (or child) parents can identify and strengthen positive communication patterns, as well as improve bonding, responsiveness, and attachment with their infants. Although, at first, being filmed feels unusual for many, most clients are happy to continue when they see the improvements VIG can make to their relationships. 

PIP informed therapy addresses early relational issues between parents and infants. It helps with relationship and bonding concerns  by exploring attachment patterns, enhancing parental understanding of their infants needs, and exploring past attachments in a parents life. The work is typically carried out with the infant in the room (this is not essential) and starts with a focus on what is happening in the room between parent and infant. 

This intervention helps parents understand and respond to their infants' emotional needs. It supports healthy emotional regulation and development in children, by equipping parents with tools to create a nurturing and responsive environment which fosters secure attachments. It is particularly useful for parents who are struggling in their relationship with their child, or who feel overwhelmed by their child's behavior. It uses videos and info-graphics to guide conversations between parent and therapist.