As a parent, you may be concerned about your baby’s sleeping or feeding difficulties, being highly sensitive or presenting difficulty to be soothed. Behaviour or temper tantrums, including hitting, biting or presenting anxious or restless, among others, that maybe more intense or frequent than developmentally appropriate. Your baby may have experienced a traumatic birth or negative early experiences, including loss and separation. You may also be worried about your own capacity to meet your infant’s needs.

Infant Parent Psychotherapy (IPP) is a specialised, relationship-focused intervention designed for children aged newborn to six years. Both child and parent(s) participate together in sessions grounded in attachment theory, child development, psychodynamic principles, and neuroscience — using a child-led, parent-centred, play-based approach.

Why Focus on the Early Years?

Research demonstrates that early secure attachment significantly impacts child development across cognitive, social, and emotional domains. Benefits of early intervention include:

• Fewer future mental health issues
• Better social skills and emotional regulation
• Increased resilience to stressors

Early intervention has the longest-lasting positive impact, making infant parent therapy a valuable investment in your child’s lifelong wellbeing.

What to Expect in Therapy

During sessions, I create a safe space where play and communication reveal the child’s internal experience. The approach involves reflecting on the child’s behaviour to help parents understand their needs and increase parental attunement and responsiveness.

I believe parents are the experts on their child. My role is to walk alongside you, supporting the relationship between you and your baby or young child.

IPP During Pregnancy (Preventative Support)

Therapy can also occur prenatally when expectant mothers experience anxiety from previous trauma or worry about repeating negative family patterns, aiming to interrupt intergenerational relational cycles before they begin.