Babyem Courses
Perinatal Mental Health — Level 4

Perinatal Mental Health - Level 4

OCN-accredited Level 4 training in perinatal mental health, from the transition to parenthood through birth trauma, depression and anxiety. Led by clinical psychologist Dr Emma Svanberg.

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What you’ll work through

  1. Introduction to the course

    1 lesson

  2. Module 01 - Transition to Parenthood

    8 lessons

  3. Module 02 - Perinatal Mental Health

    6 lessons

  4. Module 03 - The Importance of Birth and Birth Trauma

    5 lessons

  5. Module 04 - Perinatal Depression

    9 lessons

  6. Module 05 - Perinatal Anxiety and OCD

    7 lessons

  7. Module 06 - Psychosis, Bipolar and Complex Trauma

    5 lessons

  8. Module 07 - Partners Becoming Parents

    8 lessons

  9. Module 08 - Parent-Infant Relationships

    7 lessons

  10. Module 09 - Looking After Ourselves

    2 lessons

  11. Assessment

    1 lesson

  12. Finishing the Course

    2 lessons

  13. Podcast version

    10 lessons

Pick up where you left off

Your next lesson is marked Up next in the course list below, and everything you have already finished carries a green tick.

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Your two certificates

There are two separate certificates on this course, earned in different ways.

  1. Your certificate of completion Pass all eight quizzes, one at the end of each of Modules 1 to 8. Your certificate of completion is then issued automatically. Please also fill in the short evaluation at the end of your course list.
  2. Your OCN accredited Level 4 certificate Answer the essay-based questions in your assignment and submit them as a Word document. You have seven weeks from the day you pass your last quiz, and we will email you the exact date. Marking takes up to 21 days, then OCN London take around four to six weeks to review your work and send out your certificate.

This course is for professional development purposes. It does not qualify practitioners to diagnose, treat or prescribe. Always work within your professional scope and refer to clinical specialists where required.

What’s in the course

Introduction to the course

1 lesson
  1. 1 Welcome and Introduction Enrol to watch

    A warm welcome from Dr Emma Svanberg — why this course exists, who it's for, and everything you need to get started.

Module 01 - Transition to Parenthood

8 lessons
  1. 2 01.1: Transition to Parenthood — Introduction Enrol to view

    Why the gap between what we expect parenthood to be and what it actually feels like is so clinically significant — and what this module covers.

  2. 3 01.2: Expectation vs Reality Enrol to watch
  3. 4 01.3: Pressures on Parents Enrol to watch
  4. 5 01.4: Myth Busting Enrol to watch
  5. 6 01.5: Exercise Enrol to view

    A structured reflection on the gap between your own expectations of parenthood and your experience — and what this means for the families you work with.

  6. 7 01.6: Useful Theories in Transition to Parenthood Enrol to watch
  7. 8 Module 01 Quiz: Transition to Parenthood Knowledge check
  8. 9 Module 01 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    The transition to parenthood brought together — the expectation gap, the pressures, the theories — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 02 - Perinatal Mental Health

6 lessons
  1. 10 02.1: Perinatal Mental Health Enrol to view

    Why perinatal mental health matters, the scale of need in the UK, and what this module covers.

  2. 11 02.2: What do we mean by Perinatal Mental Health? Enrol to watch
  3. 12 02.3: Who is involved in Perinatal Mental Health? Enrol to view
  4. 13 02.4: A word on stigma Enrol to watch

    Why stigma is one of the biggest barriers to help-seeking in perinatal mental health — and what that means for how you work with families.

  5. 14 Quiz 4: Perinatal Mental Health Knowledge check
  6. 15 Module 02 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    The perinatal mental health landscape brought together — scale, services and stigma — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 03 - The Importance of Birth and Birth Trauma

5 lessons
  1. 16 03.1: What is Birth Trauma? Enrol to view

    What birth trauma is, how it differs from PTSD, why it is so often missed or misdiagnosed, and the framework that shapes how Emma and Make Birth Better approach it.

  2. 17 03.2: Why do some women and birthing people become traumatised? Enrol to watch
  3. 18 03.3: Psychological treatments for birth trauma Enrol to watch
  4. 19 Quiz 5: What is Birth Trauma Knowledge check
  5. 20 Module 03 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    Birth trauma brought together — subjectivity, the diathesis-stress model and treatment routes — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 04 - Perinatal Depression

9 lessons
  1. 21 04.1: What is Perinatal Depression Enrol to watch
  2. 22 04.2: Antenatal depression Enrol to view
  3. 23 04.3: Baby blues Enrol to view
  4. 24 04.4: Factors that may give rise to postnatal depression Enrol to watch
  5. 25 04.5: Effects of postnatal depression on parent-infant relationships Enrol to view
  6. 26 04.6: Postnatal depression and men Enrol to watch

    Postnatal depression in fathers and partners — what the research shows, why it's so often missed, and what practitioners can do differently.

  7. 27 04.7: Psychological Treatments for Depression Enrol to view
  8. 28 Quiz 6: What is Perinatal Depression Knowledge check
  9. 29 Module 04 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    Perinatal depression brought together — from baby blues to paternal depression and treatment — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 05 - Perinatal Anxiety and OCD

7 lessons
  1. 30 05.1: Perinatal Anxiety Enrol to view
  2. 31 05.2: Symptoms of Anxiety Enrol to view
  3. 32 05.3: Treatment for Anxiety Disorders Enrol to watch
  4. 33 05.4: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Enrol to view

    What perinatal OCD actually looks like — including the intrusive thoughts that affect the vast majority of new parents and are almost never talked about.

  5. 34 05.5: Treatment for OCD Enrol to view

    How perinatal OCD is treated, what ERP involves, and how practitioners can support families before, during, and after specialist referral.

  6. 35 Quiz 7: Perinatal Anxiety Knowledge check
  7. 36 Module 05 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    Perinatal anxiety and OCD brought together — from normal worry to intrusive thoughts and ERP — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 06 - Psychosis, Bipolar and Complex Trauma

5 lessons
  1. 37 06.1: Other Mental Health Problems — Introduction Enrol to view
  2. 38 06.2: Other Mental Health Problems — Conditions in Detail Enrol to view
  3. 39 06.3: A word on complex trauma Enrol to watch
  4. 40 Quiz 8: Other mental health problems Knowledge check
  5. 41 Module 06 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    Psychosis, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, suicide risk and complex trauma brought together, plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 07 - Partners Becoming Parents

8 lessons
  1. 42 07.1: The Couple Relationship — Introduction Enrol to watch
  2. 43 07.2: The Couple Relationship — Research and Evidence Enrol to view

    What the research tells us about how the couple relationship changes after a baby arrives — including why most couples struggle, what protects the ones who don't, and how this connects to mental health.

  3. 44 07.3: Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model of Relationships Theory Enrol to view
  4. 45 07.4: The impact of couple conflict on children Enrol to view
  5. 46 07.5: What you can do to help Enrol to view
  6. 47 07.6: Exercise Enrol to view

    A structured reflection on how you would support a couple navigating the transition to parenthood in your own practice.

  7. 48 Module 07 Quiz: Partners Becoming Parents Knowledge check
  8. 49 Module 07 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    The couple relationship in the perinatal period brought together — decline, conflict, and what helps — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 08 - Parent-Infant Relationships

7 lessons
  1. 50 08.1: Parent-Infant Relationships — Introduction Enrol to view

    Why the parent-infant relationship is central to perinatal mental health, and what this module covers.

  2. 51 08.2: The Parent-Infant Bond — Services and Resources Enrol to view
  3. 52 08.3: How does mental health affect the relationship with the baby? Enrol to watch
  4. 53 08.4: Attachment Theory Enrol to watch

    Attachment theory in the perinatal context — including reflective functioning, the intergenerational transmission of attachment, and what early intervention research shows is possible.

  5. 54 08.5: What can we do to help? Enrol to watch
  6. 55 Quiz 13: The impact on the relationship with the baby Knowledge check
  7. 56 Module 08 Wrap and Sources Enrol to view

    The parent-infant relationship brought together — from fetal programming to attachment and intervention — plus the sources referenced throughout.

Module 09 - Looking After Ourselves

2 lessons
  1. 57 09.1: Looking After Ourselves — Introduction Enrol to view

    Why looking after yourself as a practitioner is not optional — including what vicarious trauma is and how to recognise it in yourself.

  2. 58 09.2: Strategies and Practice Enrol to watch

Assessment

1 lesson
  1. 59 Assessment - OCN Level 4 - Perinatal Mental Health Enrol to watch

Finishing the Course

2 lessons
  1. 60 Goodbye! Enrol to watch
  2. 61 Feedback & Evaluation Enrol to view

    Complete the end of course feedback and evaluation form — it takes about a minute and releases your certificate of completion.

Podcast version

10 lessons
  1. 62 Start here: the podcast version Enrol to view

    The whole course as audio, one episode per module, with your workbook and quizzes alongside.

  2. 63 Episode 01: Transition to Parenthood Enrol to listen

    Module 01 as audio: expectations vs reality, the pressures on new parents, myth busting and the theories of transition.

  3. 64 Episode 02: Perinatal Mental Health Enrol to listen

    Module 02 as audio: what perinatal mental health means, who is involved, and how stigma shapes help-seeking.

  4. 65 Episode 03: Birth and Birth Trauma Enrol to listen

    Module 03 as audio: what birth trauma is, why some people become traumatised, and the treatments that help.

  5. 66 Episode 04: Perinatal Depression Enrol to listen

    Module 04 as audio: perinatal and antenatal depression, baby blues, risk factors, fathers, and treatments.

  6. 67 Episode 05: Perinatal Anxiety and OCD Enrol to listen

    Module 05 as audio: perinatal anxiety, its symptoms and treatment, and OCD in new parenthood.

  7. 68 Episode 06: Psychosis, Bipolar and Complex Trauma Enrol to listen

    Module 06 as audio: eating disorders, postpartum psychosis, bipolar disorder, risk, and complex trauma.

  8. 69 Episode 07: Partners Becoming Parents Enrol to listen

    Module 07 as audio: the couple relationship after a baby, the VSA model, conflict and children, and how to help.

  9. 70 Episode 08: Parent-Infant Relationships Enrol to listen

    Module 08 as audio: mental health and bonding, attachment theory, and how to support the parent-infant relationship.

  10. 71 Episode 09: Looking After Ourselves Enrol to listen

    Module 09 as audio: vicarious trauma, containment, and practical strategies for your own wellbeing.

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