Service development
Service development
Feature
Above : Venue and setup for the Mums and Munchkins group
© Liderina via Getty Images
Above left to right : Catriona Jorgensen , Occupational Therapist , and Dearbhla McAleenan , Specialist Health Visitor , outside group venue
Social Care Trust ( BHSCT ) Perinatal Mental Health Service , the first occupational therapist to be recruited into one of these teams in Northern Ireland .
Our referral criteria states that the service is open to ‘ women with complex mental health conditions during pregnancy and up to a year after birth ’.
When considering the development of the occupational therapy role within this clinical area , I was predominantly conscious of the need to support mums in areas such as role adjustment , routines , and self-care . I was also aware of the importance of being able to offer occupational therapy interventions on a both a one-to-one and group basis , depending on the individual needs of each patient .
Once in post , I quickly became aware of a recurrent narrative from mums who described a loss of confidence and feelings of social isolation as a result of their mental illness , resulting in feeling unable to attend mum and baby groups offered in their local communities .
These comments , coupled with my own past experiences of struggling to connect with others in mum and baby groups I had attended , helped develop the initial idea for a postnatal support group , specifically for patients open to the perinatal service .
Collective leadership and partnership working
Our consultant psychiatrist suggested cofacilitation with the specialist health visitor in the service , Dearbhla McAleenan . It quickly became apparent that we were both highly motivated to create a group space for this patient cohort . We also found that the clinical outlooks of these two professions complimented each other well .
Occupational therapy involvement allowed for a focus on areas such as routine , structure and meaningful activity , while the health visiting perspective provided a focus on areas such as health promotion , child development and infant mental health . And so , the ‘ Mums and Munchkins ’ group came to be .
May 2023 OTnews 23