Get to Know our New Perinatal Psychologist Kam Trebilco
What inspires you to work with parents during the perinatal period?
The perinatal period can be a challenging stage to navigate as a new parent. Being a parent myself, I understand it is filled with lows, highs, judgements and contradictory feelings. I have worked with people across all stages of life, and I’m continually drawn to this area with a passion to provide a safe space for people to seek the support they need to guide them through this transition. Investing in parents helps both individuals and entire family systems to thrive - that’s highly motivating as a psychologist to watch these incredible changes take place. Mothers hold the key to breaking intergenerational patterns.
What are some common reasons why new or expectant mothers might seek out your services?
Becoming a mother can be overwhelming with lots of challenges. Parents can seek out support for many reasons including low mood, difficulty bonding, birth trauma, feeling anxious, burnout, feeling overwhelmed and experiencing difficulty adjusting to becoming a parent. Becoming a parent changes our identity and often new or unexpected challenges can arise. When our mental health deteriorates, we often don’t feel like ourselves or we can feel like we are living a life that doesn’t match how we thought we would be. Attending therapy allows us to focus on any changes you have experienced and together we explore ways to improve relationships, tweak routines and learn new strategies to manage the new emotions that arise since becoming a parent.
It’s daunting to think about going into therapy, is it normal to need this type of help?
It’s common for people to feel daunted when they first think about starting therapy. It can feel even more difficult when you are also navigating the pressures of motherhood. No matter what your worries are about therapy, I will work with you to create a safe space of compassion, trust and understanding - from here we will work together to find ways to help you feel better. Making that initial decision to attend therapy is often the hardest part! Once people start to feel better through therapy, we often hear them say that they recommend therapy to everyone close to them.
Is it easier to parent when you are a psychologist yourself?
Being a parent can be tough no matter what. While being a psychologist can sometimes give me the skills in knowing what to do, it didn’t prepare me for the identity shift, the sleep deprivation and the overwhelming moments.
I feel we all come to parenting with our own unique skills, values and experiences that can help us parent, however, at times, when we feel overwhelmed, it is often hard to draw on these skills. Even psychologists need to stop and consider how to manage their emotions and how to put psychological strategies into practice.
I like to connect with parents so that I can share my psychological skills and together we can create plans and strategies to overcome any difficulties that are impacting on your parenting experience or on your mental wellbeing.
Do you have any words of wisdom to share for a parent currently in the depths of early parenthood?
Be kind to yourself. I can help you to parent from your own values rather than by the expectations & pressures of society or others around you. Remember to prioritise your own mental health and wellbeing as your whole family benefits from you being well. Don’t delay seeking treatment if you need it, we all need to ask for help along the way.