Emotional and Physical Changes During the Perinatal Period: Implications for Counsellors
Emotional and Physical Changes During the Perinatal Period: Implications for Counsellors
No Thumbnail Available
Issue Date
2025-11
Authors
Johal, Sumanjit
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This capstone project aims to synthesize the current research focusing on the emotional and physical changes that occur during pregnancy and post-partum on current mental health interventions and counselling practices. The project contributes to the counselling field by identifying the gaps and highlighting the importance of having culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based approaches for maternal mental health care. Relevant studies on interventions and longitudinal research are organized around four central themes: physical, emotional, sociocultural factors, and current mental health support strategies. These four themes highlight key issues such as post-partum-related anxiety, depression, post-birth complications, and sociocultural factors leading to barriers for effective assessible care and counselling supports. Guided by an attachment and feminist perspective to reach its conclusions, this review examines changing relational dynamics, sociocultural expectations, and relevant counselling interventions. Research consistently demonstrates that the perinatal period has a significant impact on a mother's emotional and physical well-being, while highlighting the need for additional specialized support to prevent further psychological and physical distress. However, limitations in current literature highlight significant gaps in representation of diverse populations, culturally sensitive care, and small sample sizes limit the scope within the results. Findings from this capstone project aim to enhance current counselling and healthcare practices through the application of effective evidence-based and inclusive therapeutic frameworks for maternal mental health needs.
Description
Keywords
attachment theory , feminist theory , maternal , perintal period , post-partum