CTfD Perinatal – Working with Couples: Raising Awareness Training

This Awareness Training provides a thorough introduction to those working clinically and non-clinically with couples in the perinatal period:

1. How relationship dynamics between a couple can be affected by the arrival of a baby
2. How these dynamics can play out in emotional terms between the partners (e.g. depression, anxiety, conflict, loss of closeness, isolation);
3. The impact of couple relationship quality on the psychosocial development of babies
4. How practitioners can help couples draw on the strengths of their relationship as a positive resource during times of emotional strain
5. How to set up a thriving couple service within your existing service

Areas to be covered:

• How to identify signs of depression and anxiety in both halves of the couple
• How to assess risk in couples – suicidality, DVA, birth trauma, self-harm, substance misuse, post-natal psychosis, children at risk
• How to engage couples, particularly from different cultural, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientations in establishing support networks
• Couple dynamics and how they are affected throughout the perinatal period· Adapting to life with a baby – each parent’s styles of attachment
• Working with a couple and a baby in the room and maintaining a balanced outlook and techniques in how to engage the ‘non-birthing’ partner
• Thinking about parenting: family and societal modelling including parents’ family histories
• Physical and emotional changes during the perinatal period: psychoeducation to offer couples, including impact on their sexual relationship, potentially linked to birth trauma

Also, what is CTfD with a Perinatal Focus and how does it work?

• How to address the couple dynamic when setting up a couple service
• Techniques in how to address the couple and encourage them to attend together
• Techniques in working with the couple relationship as ‘client’ as opposed to one individual
• Appropriate referring to specialist services

These Awareness Training Days are open to all staff, both clinical and non-clinical, working in Perinatal Services.

• This training is funded by NHSE for staff who meet the eligibility criteria, i.e. clinical and non-clinical staff working in Perinatal Services.