Make Room for Baby

Book excerpt: This state-of-the-art clinician's guide describes Perinatal Child–Parent Psychotherapy (P-CPP), a treatment for pregnant women and their partners whose readiness to nurture a baby is compromised by traumatic stress and adverse life experiences. P-CPP, an application to pregnancy of the widely disseminated, evidence-based Child–Parent Psychotherapy, spans the prenatal period through the first 6 months of life. Extended cases illustrate ways to help mothers and fathers understand how trauma has affected them, navigate the physical and emotional challenges of becoming parents, build essential caregiving competencies, and ensure the safety of their babies and themselves. Cultural considerations in working with diverse families are addressed through specific intervention examples.