Building happy family foundations : Olivia and Abdul ’ s story
Olivia Gao and Abdul Motraje had been married for nearly 4 years when they became pregnant with their daughter , Maia . Their relationship was sound and happy – but the transition into parenthood was stressful .
To make matters more challenging , they ’ d just arrived in Australia after meeting and living in Turkey . The couple have no family here in Melbourne , and they started to struggle .
“ We had a very strong relationship before the baby came . I never anticipated that things would change so much ”, says Olivia .
They learned about the Family Foundations program on social media and joke that it probably saved their marriage .
Family Foundations is a free 10-week program for families expecting or caring for a baby aged up to 12 months . Social workers or counselling professionals deliver evidence-based practice through discussion-based activities , modelling , and skills practice to strengthen the parenting team .
Specific skills include emotional regulation , stress management , conflict resolution , attachment , healthy communication , co-parenting , and problem solving . Each session runs for an hour and can be provided face-to-face or online , to a parenting team , or in groups .
The program gave the pair some useful tools and support for navigating life ’ s new challenges , and helped them feel less alone . Making friends was an unexpected bonus .
Both Olivia and Abdul would recommend the course to other new parents .
“ You have nothing to lose by taking part . It ’ s free , and you can take your baby along with you . It has made a huge and positive difference in our marriage and growing family .”
Abdul
For more information ,
please call 9355 9901 , or
email family . foundations @ merrihealth . org . au
Olivia and Abdul with their daughter , Merri Health Family Foundations clients .
MerriNews December 2023 – January 2024 | 5 .