The obstetrics and gynaecology psychology service supports women, trans-male, non-binary people and those who were born as reproductively female that identify as other, who are experiencing psychological difficulties related to pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy loss, or related to a gynaecological condition.
Our service also offers support for couples and partners who are experiencing psychological difficulties relating to the peri-natal period and / or an ongoing gynaecological condition.
Pregnancy, birth and the time just after can be traumatic. This is what we call perinatal trauma.
Birth trauma refers to the injuries experienced during childbirth. They can be physical such as tearing or episiotomies. They can also be psychological due to a difficult or traumatic birthing experience.
Factors leading to birth trauma can include:
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Prolonged labour
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Emergency medical interventions
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Complications during birth
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Feelings of loss of control or helplessness
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Unexpected results such as emergency caesarean births or birth injuries to the baby
Birth trauma can lead to:
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Post-traumatic stress or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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Postnatal depression
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Postnatal anxiety
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Difficulty bonding with the baby
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Challenges with breastfeeding
It is important that women and birthing people going through perinatal trauma seek support.
Stillbirth, neonatal death, and miscarriage are devastating experiences for parents and families. Support from healthcare professionals and loved ones is crucial. Grieving is a natural process, but some people may need psychological support should their grief begin to present as complicated grief.
Deciding to end a pregnancy for whatever reason can cause distress and psychological suffering. We also know that loss and trauma can cause sexual difficulties and challenges. This is because as the body and mind are connected.
Our service is here to help with any of these problems. We are a small team of HCPC registered practitioner psychologists. We believe in safe and compassionate care and support. We offer a range of evidence-based psychological therapies.
General information on what psychology can help with and how psychology can help can be found back on the main page.
If you are under the care of Northumbria Healthcare or received care under our trust relating to your current difficulty, we can offer you support. Some examples of problems that we can help with include:
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Anxiety or adjustment problems as a result of pregnancy
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Fear related specifically to pregnancy – such as giving birth, needles or blood tests
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Distress following a traumatic birth in our hospital
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Distress in pregnancy linked to a physical health problem
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Anxiety in a pregnancy after a perinatal trauma
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Complicated grief due to miscarriage, stillbirth or termination
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Pregnancy decision-making
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Psychosexual issues related to gynaecological conditions
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Painful sex after childbirth
Dr Suzanne McGarva-Collins, service lead & clinical psychologist
Hello, I am a HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) registered clinical psychologist and EMDR therapist. I was born and raised in Scotland but first moved to the North East in 1998.
I began working in the NHS in 2007 and have predominately worked within adult mental health and health psychology services. I moved into obstetrics and gynaecology health psychology in 2022. Prior to this I worked in Talking Therapies services, predominately working with adults with complex trauma, PTSD, emotional dysregulation and interpersonal difficulties. Obstetrics and gynaecology is an area that has interested me for some time. My doctoral research focused on the experience of miscarriage and I was proud to contribute to the evidence base when it was published.
I am passionate about sharing psychology with our patients, families and staff teams, to help people, in times of distress and difficulty, to improve their psychological wellbeing, functioning and live life in line with their values. My therapeutic interests includeEMDR, CBT, CAT, ACT, IFS, CFT and SFT (more information here).
Dr Helen Clark, principal psychologist
Hello, I am a HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) registered psychologist and Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) practitioner. I am also EMDR trained (more information here). I have worked in the obstetrics and gynaecology health psychology team since 2021 and prior to this have extensive experience working within adult primary care psychological services.
I have a strong interest in working with psychological trauma. I am passionate about promoting trauma-informed care across health care services and have a keen interest in reducing health inequalities across healthcare settings.
Mandy Guthrie, administrator
Hi, I am the obs & gynae health psychology administrator. I was born in Ashington, although I have lived in Germany, Aldershot and Yorkshire. I have grown-up twins and two dogs; one a German shepherd who is 11 years old and an 18-month Corman shepherd which is a Corgi/German shepherd.
I began working in the NHS in 1995 and have worked for a variety of departments such as contracting, performance, resettlement, Talking Therapies and palliative care. In March 2023, I joined the team and they have welcomed me into the service.
I am the first point of contact to the team, and I will be as helpful as I can.
Katy Straker, medical secretary
Hi, I am a medical secretary within the obstetrics and gynaecology team. I joined the NHS in 2021 and was warmly welcomed into the team. I work within several O&G departments including the secretarial team under the consultants, I coordinate the midwifery-run Birth Reflection clinics and also cover admin in O&G health psychology.
Our team works well together, and I thoroughly enjoy my job. I am passionate about this area of work and can really empathise with the patients I speak to. I am qualified in RSA 3 and business admin. I have my Care Certificate and a counselling qualification which all contribute towards the job I do.
I am a caring, trustworthy and respectful person and I take pride in myself carrying these values with me through life. I live in Amble, Northumberland, with my partner and our gorgeous rescue cat. We love going away in our campervan, and spending time with friends/family.
Dr Adele Laidlaw, counselling psychologist
I am a HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) registered counselling psychologist, BPS Stage 1 health psychologist and an EMDR therapist working within the obstetrics and gynaecology health psychology service.
I joined the team in 2023 and I am passionate about working within the field of obstetrics and gynaecology. I have particular interests in working with antenatal anxiety and perinatal trauma. I have also carried out doctoral level research exploring experiences of pregnancy loss from the perspective of fathers.
We believe your psychological needs are best provided for in the related healthcare settings.This means we are based in hospitals.
We can help you navigate your maternity and/or gynaecological experience. This means we can normalise much of the related fear, anxiety and stress. We work closely with our medical, nursing, and physiotherapy colleagues.
We have clinics at Wansbeck General Hospital and North Tyneside General Hospital. We are also able to offer appointments via phone and video call.
If you are currently under, or have recently accessed, obstetric or gynaecological care from Northumbria Healthcare, please speak to your healthcare professional about making a referral on your behalf.
We want to make sure that we are the best placed service to support your current needs. This may mean that we contact you to discuss your referral in a bit more detail and agree a suitable plan.
If you are or have recently had treatment with other mental health services, they will likely be best placed to work with you. If this is not the case and you have a concern related to one of the problems listed above and you are having/have had your care within Northumbria Healthcare, it is likely that we are best placed to work with you.
When we receive a referral, one of the team will review it. We may be in touch if we need more information. We may advise you in writing that you have been added to our waiting list. We may also signpost you to other services we feel may help meet your current needs.
We are a small service, and our waiting times are longer than we would like. However, if you are an antenatal patient, we aim to see you before delivery.
We can offer 1-to-1 appointments, either face to face, by phone or video consultation.
Appointments will be arranged directly with you or by telephone or letter. If, for any reason, you cannot attend, please let us know as soon as possible. If we don’t hear from you, we may presume that you no longer want psychological support and may discharge you from the service.