Book your Clinical Assessment
Starting therapy can be daunting. Our clinical assessment makes sure you’re set up the right way – it’s a full 50 minute session with a perinatal psychotherapist to assess your background, situation and symptoms, and work out the right therapeutic treatment. You must see us for an assessment before moving onto therapy.
£ 120
What Comes Next..
Following your assessment, you’ll receive a link to book therapy sessions. You can pay as you go, or purchase session bundles. And when you’re ready to finish or take a break, you can do so anytime.
Single Session PAYGO: £90
3 Session Bundle: £260
6 Session Bundle: £500
And How About Couples?
New parenthood and relationship challenges go hand in hand – so many of our therapists also specialise in couples counselling for soon-to-be and new parents.
If you’d like to see one of our couples counsellors, the process is the same: Book a Clinical Assessment, attend together, then move onto therapy.
Single Couples Session: £110
3 Session Bundle: £300
FAQs
The first step is to book yourself in for a 50 minute clinical assessment via our website. You fill in a brief intake form, check out, and we will select a therapist for you based on your form responses.
During the assessment, the therapist will determine your challenges and symptoms, and work with you to recommend a therapeutic approach.
Unless your symptoms are deemed too severe (there is a small number of issues we cannot safely support – if that is the case, we will signpost you to get the help you need), you will then be able to book therapy sessions.
These sessions will be with the therapist you saw for your assessment, unless your preferences or requirements would be better met with someone else.
You can have as many sessions as you like, and you’re free to end or take a break from therapy at any point.
Our initial assessment is priced at £120.
Ongoing 1:1 therapy sessions are £90 for single sessions pay as you go, and work out as low as £83 per session if you purchase a bundle.
Couples sessions are £110 for a single session, and £300 if you book a bundle of three sessions.
Payment for the clinical assessment is processed when you book through our website.
After your assessment, you can book therapy sessions via a payment link provided by your therapist after the assessment.
We understand the cost of private therapy can be considerable, especially if you’d like long term support. It might be reassuring for you to know that 80% of our clients report significant improvements after just six sessions.
Many of our clients have had success in asking their employers to (partially) fund their therapy. Others have chosen to see our trainee therapists for lower-cost therapy.
Let us know if you’re interested in any of these options and we’d be happy to support you.
No, you can self‑refer. You do not need a formal diagnosis or a referral from a GP to start therapy at Mothering Minds.
If you have already spoken to your GP and are now waiting for a spot with NHS talking therapies or the perinatal mental health service, we are more than happy to support you in the meantime.
At Mothering Minds we see mothers, fathers, couples and anyone planning, starting or raising a family in the UK. We also see clients overseas, be it expats entering or experiencing parenthood in a different country, or foreign nationals preferring English-speaking support.
We also support companies in their efforts to improve parental mental health among employees and deliver workshops, webinars, and special corporate therapy packages. If you think your company might be interested in this, get in touch – we’d love to talk.
Therapists at Mothering Minds are all qualified and registered with either UKCP or BACP (regulatory bodies for psychotherapists), and have a perinatal and new parenthood specialism.
They are all parents themselves, have experience supporting emotional concerns relating to fertility issues, pregnancy anxiety, birth trauma, postnatal depression and anxiety, and between them draw on a wide range of evidence-based modalities.
As part of the only collective of perinatal psychotherapists in the UK they are constantly building their skills via peer supervision, sharing case studies, strategies, resources and learnings with each other.
When you book your clinical assessment, you will receive a short intake form which helps us select a therapist who is a likely fit.
If after the assessment you feel like you would like to see a different therapist for your sessions, we will select a new match based on the preferences and requirements you expressed in the session.
A good therapeutic fit is important. If you feel something is not working, you can contact Mothering Minds to discuss switching to a different therapist where possible.
Mothering Minds provides online therapy, so you can attend sessions from home, at work, or wherever is most comfortable and practical for you.
We don’t currently offer in person sessions.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Many of our clients start with weekly sessions, then adjust frequency as they begin to feel more stable and supported. You and your therapist will decide together what is realistic for you.
Yes. Many clients need to pause sessions on the occasion – even if they want to pick up therapy again in the future. You can discuss a pause or ending with your therapist and agree a plan that works for everyone involved, including an option to restart later. Remember that unused purchased sessions expire after six month.
Yes, while therapy might work best if you can be fully focused, our therapists understand that childcare is not always an option. They will work with you to make sessions as manageable as possible.
Pregnancy Mental Health
Feeling persistently low, hopeless, or overwhelmed in pregnancy is common, but it is not something you have to just put up with. If your mood has been low most days for more than two weeks, or you are finding it hard to function, it is a sign to reach out for support.
You can speak to your GP or midwife, and you can also book perinatal therapy directly with Mothering Minds without a referral. A specialist therapist can help you make sense of what you are feeling, develop coping strategies, and plan support before and after birth.
Many expecting parents notice more worry in pregnancy, but constant racing thoughts, intrusive “what if” scenarios, or physical symptoms like a tight chest, nausea, or trouble sleeping can point to pregnancy anxiety.
Therapy can help you manage anxiety and give you tools to calm your nervous system and feel more in control.
Hormonal shifts can cause emotional ups and downs. Perinatal depression is more than that. Signs include feeling low most days, losing interest in things you used to enjoy, withdrawing from others, changes in sleep and appetite, or feelings of guilt and hopelessness.
If these symptoms last more than two weeks, talk to your GP, midwife or get in touch with us at Mothering Minds.
Yes. If you’re fearful of birth (tokophobia is the medical term), you’re in good company: an estimated 1 in 4 women experience this.
Knowing exactly what to expect (not just medically, also emotionally), and exploring your fears in a safe space beforehand are proven ways of diminishing fear of birth.
If you work with a therapist, he or she can help you create an emotional birth plan that includes coping tools, communication scripts and support strategies.
If worry is constant, interrupts sleep, stops you enjoying day‑to‑day life, or makes it hard to focus at work or at home, that is a good time to seek help.
You do not have to wait until things feel “bad enough.” Early support often means a quicker recovery.
Get in touch with your GP or midwife, or speak to us at Mothering Minds.
Birth Trauma and Recovery
Birth trauma refers to feeling frightened, powerless, or deeply distressed around the time of or during birth. Confusingly, it encompasses the weeks leading up to birth, the birth itself AND the postnatal period, especially breastfeeding.
It can arise from medical emergencies, from feeling ignored, dismissed or patronised, from unmet expectations and a loss of control.
Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance of reminders, and feeling constantly on edge.
It is incredibly common:
Some statistics indicate that 1 in 2 women experience an aspect of their birth as traumatic – so if that’s you, you’re not alone.
Birth trauma can be effectively treated with specialist Birth trauma talk therapy, using trauma‑informed approaches such as CBT, DBT, EMDR and other evidence‑based methods.
No. There is no time limit on when you can seek support. If you still feel affected and notice symptoms such as avoidance, intrusive thoughts, overwhelming memories, or strange physical sensations when reminded of birth, your trauma is still active and can be addressed.
Therapy can help you process the experience and its impact on your life, relationships, and future pregnancies.
Yes. Partners can also experience trauma, anxiety, and low mood after a difficult birth. This is often called secondary or vicarious birth trauma. Sometimes, they are more affected than the birthing person – being the one who perhaps witnessed many of the graphic details, whilst feeling the pressure to appear calm and strong.
Mothering Minds offers support to anyone affected by a perinatal mental health condition, either individually or as a couple, depending on what feels most helpful.
If you’d like to talk about how you have been affected by birth , you might approach your midwife, GP or health visitor with simple language such as: “I’ve been having flashbacks and anxiety since the birth and I think I might be struggling with birth trauma.”
You might be offered a birth debrief – many hospitals offer this to go over your birth notes. It is important to remember that the emotional validation or acknowledgment you may crave after a difficult experience might not be provided in these settings – they are foremost designed to provide medical facts.
You might also be pointed towards the perinatal mental health team, and if this is not offered, you can ask to be referred.
Couples and Relationship Counselling
Lack of sleep, new responsibilities, financial pressure, and changes in identity all put strain on relationships. Old patterns can resurface, and communication often gets squeezed out. Therapy offers a neutral space to talk honestly about what has changed, rebuild goodwill, and agree on more balanced ways of sharing the load.
New parenthood is one of the most challenging times in a couple’s relationship: in the UK, 1 in 5 relationships break up within the first year of having a baby.
Seeing a couples counsellor can be a great way to preempt a communication breakdown. Couples counsellors who specialise in new parenthood are familiar with the dynamics and common pitfalls of the period, and can help you and your partner reconnect, share your feelings, and get back on the same page.
It’s common for one partner to be more hesitant. Some couples start with one partner attending individual sessions, then bring the other in later when it feels safer. Sometimes the couple will then see the same therapist together, other times the 1:1 therapist will hand over to someone else to allow a fresh start for both. If couples sessions are ultimately what you’d like, a therapist can help you plan how to invite your partner into the process without pressure.
Postnatal Mental Health
The baby blues usually pass within a few weeks. If sadness, irritability, or disconnection last longer than a month or two, or worsen, it may be postnatal depression (often referred to as PND).
PND is highly treatable, sometimes with talk therapy alone, other times via talk therapy and medication. If you’re wondering if you have PND, speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor. A clinical assessment with Mothering Minds can also shed light on your symptoms.
While a measure of anxiety is common in the postnatal period – especially if the pregnancy or birth experience was fraught, heightened anxiety can seriously disrupt functioning.
Signs of postnatal anxiety include racing thoughts, restlessness, panic, intrusive worries, and physical symptoms like a racing heart. These can show up out of the blue, or certain times of the day – often without overt triggers.
Therapy can be effective in managing anxiety, exploring the source and providing strategies to manage it.
It is common to worry about bonding. Ideas around what bonding is supposed to look like can be very prescriptive, and don’t reflect the uniqueness of our relationships.
Many new mothers find it helpful to talk about bonding difficulties in peer support groups, and others benefit from one to one talk therapy – exploring the nature of their particular bond with their baby and work on connection-building at their own pace, without guilt or shame.
Absolutely. Maternal ambivalence – the term that describes the opposing feelings mothers experience about their children – is a defining characteristic of motherhood.
Regret is often a sign of grief – over your old life, your old relationship with your partner, your old body, and so on – and grief can be processed.
Therapy can help address feelings of shame around regretting motherhood, and explore constructive ways towards greater acceptance and compassion.