parent-infant psychotherapy

Parent-Infant Psychotherapy (PIP) is a dyadic supportive therapy involving the parent and the infant. It addresses difficulties that might arise from birth till the age of two and helps the parent, the mother and/or the father, or the primary caregiver of the infant, to observe and reflect on these concerns.

PIP helps the parent to improve and establish stable relationship patterns with the baby, increase and promote secure attachment, and therefore facilitate infant development.

Birth is the ultimate event that creates a strong relationship between two people; the mother and the infant. A relationship that will be sustained through life and will affect, shape, and reform the identity of the two people involved; the baby, a new human being that is totally dependent on the mother for his survival but also for his emotional and physical development; and the mother, meaning a woman that has a past and an identity that will be expanded in order to incorporate her new role. Therefore, a new history is constructed, including the long past history of the mother and the newly forming history of the baby, that will influence their everyday interactions, their attachment, and the baby’s development.

For some women, this new reality may be easy and smooth, but for the majority of women, it is a “roller coaster” of emotions. Questions, worries, and concerns may be raised regarding sleeping, feeding, playing, stimulation, and regulation, and this is mainly due to the fact that the interactions between mother and baby are primarily nonverbal.

With appropriate support, parent and baby can achieve a healthy attunement and improve their confidence in themselves and their interactions.