Helping parents and carers form healthy relationships with their babies & infants
Hello! I’m Dr. Bea Birtwell, a Clinical Psychologist specialising in working with parents and carers, supporting them as they develop a greater understanding and connection to their infants, and feel more confident in their parenting.
I work with families from pregnancy through infancy to the age of three.
Every family is different, bringing their own unique strengths and challenges, and each intervention is tailored to the specific needs of that family. I’ve had the privilege of working with a wide range of mums, dads and carers, together and/or individually.
I absolutely love the work that I do. You will be met with a warm, respectful, curious and understanding approach.
My Services
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You and your infant would meet me for one hour, in most cases, initially, for 6 sessions. This would include assessment and intervention. We would think together about the difficulties you are experiencing, how they have come about, what the contributing factors are, and what could be done to support change. Further sessions could be agreed after a review.
Included in this service is a written summary on closing.
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I will visit you and your 6-24 month old in your home for one hour, for 10 sessions. The intervention is videotaped. Video and live feedback are used to coach you in parenting behaviours which are known to positively affect the parent-infant relationship and child development. ABC helps parents recognise ways to strengthen their relationship, attune to their babies cues and feel more positive towards their baby. This helps the baby learn to trust and rely on their caregiver, and to regulate their behaviours and emotions. Impact would be regularly reviewed. Further sessions could be agreed after a review. Included in this service is a written summary on closing.
To find out more about ABC please watch this
Parent-Infant
Psychological Therapy (PIP)
You and your infant would meet me for one hour, in most cases, initially, for 6 sessions. This would include assessment and intervention. We would think together about the difficulties you are experiencing, how they have come about, what the contributing factors are, and what could be done to support change. Further sessions could be agreed after a review.
Included in this service is a written summary on closing.
Attachment & Biobehavioural
Catch-up (ABC)
I will visit you and your 6-24 month old in your home for one hour, for 10 sessions. The intervention is videotaped. Video and live feedback are used to coach you in parenting behaviours which are known to positively affect the parent-infant relationship and child development. ABC helps parents recognise ways to strengthen their relationship, attune to their babies cues and feel more positive towards their baby. This helps the baby learn to trust and rely on their caregiver, and to regulate their behaviours and emotions. Impact would be regularly reviewed. Further sessions could be agreed after a review. Included in this service is a written summary on closing.
To find out more about ABC please watch this
The Parent-Infant Relationship
Many factors contribute to the development of the parent-infant relationship.
The relationship between parents or carers and infants has a profound, lifelong impact and I believe passionately in supporting families to optimise this relationship as early on in life as possible.
Here are some of the areas that Parent-Infant Psychological Therapy focuses on…
Creating a trusting therapeutic relationship where experiences, thoughts and feelings can be shared and understood.
Making links between current and past experiences to make sense of any presenting difficulties.
Observing and understanding infant behaviours, and thinking about how to respond sensitively to these.
Developing strategies which may help overcome any difficulties you are facing.
Coaching in parenting behaviours known to positively impact the parent-infant relationship and infant development.
Developing an understanding of the factors that contribute towards difficulties, and the strengths that can be used to help overcome them.
Observing and understanding parenting behaviour and how this impacts on the parent-infant relationship, the baby and their development.
Testimonials
“I felt listened to and my concerns and worries were validated. I never felt judged. We talked through some really tough things and I was supported the whole way.” Ed
“My sessions with Bea helped me to feel normal which is what I needed.” Mary
“I have noticed that my children respond much more positively to me because I have adapted and believe in my behaviours positively. They reach out for me more regularly and lean on me for emotional support.” Mark
“Max feels more comfortable with me, and I feel is such a different character towards me now our relationship has improved.” Sam
“Bea put me at ease with her relaxed, kind and confident demeanor.She was very knowledgeable and supportive.” Lizzie
“The video sessions were such a good idea and I loved being able to look back and see previous sessions and how my son and I interacted.” Annabel
“It really helped with the bond between me and both my girls; Mia's speech has got a lot better recently.” Claire
“I am now not constantly worrying about everyting and can really begin to enjoy being present with my baby.” Amanda
“I didn’t realise I was doing such a good job at being a mum until Bea pointed it all out to me and helped me to change the way I think about myself.” Monica
ABOUT ME
I’m Dr. Bea Birtwell (BA, MSc, DClinPsych, HCPC Registered) a highly specialist Parent-Infant Clinical Psychologist specialising in working with parents and carers, supporting them as they develop a greater understanding of and connection with their infants and feel more confident in their parenting. I have worked with babies and their caregivers for over 20 years.
Supporting parents in understanding what they are bringing to their relationship with their child, and why, can help create clarity. Processing of thoughts and feelings that are impacting on the parent-infant relationship can help parents feel more attuned to their babies. In turn, their babies then feel more connected to them, which optimises their development during this critical period of growth.
I understand that the relationship between parents or carers and infants has a profound, lifelong impact, and I believe passionately in supporting families to optimise this relationship as early on as possible in life.
There are so many reasons why parenting a baby is difficult. Being a parent can bring many challenges into focus, some we may have been expecting and others may come as a surprise. As a mum of two myself, I can relate - and I can help.