Perinatal Support

During pregnancy and in the first year after birth, women and their partners can experience a range of mental health difficulties. Perinatal mental wellbeing is very important to us and we prioritise parents (including dads, same sex couples and main carers) who are either expecting a child or have a child up to one year old. Read more at the LMWS Blog.

Perinatal support is defined as:

• Women who are, or have been, pregnant within the last 12 months.
• Women/Primary Carers who have a child under 12 months old.
• Partners of women within the perinatal period.

LMWS provides a wide range of perinatal support, working together to help you in the best way possible.

To access support, refer yourself to LMWS or speak to your GP/preferred healthcare worker. Following your assessment, you will be referred to the best suited LMWS therapy and/or to one or several of the below services:

Primary Care Mental Health (PCMH)

If it’s not clear whether your current difficulties can be addressed directly through LMWS therapies or secondary care services, you may be directed to the Primary Care Mental Health (PCMH) team within LMWS. PCMH prioritises those in need of perinatal support, ensuring you can access services in the quickest time possible.

Find out more about PCMH.

Leeds Infant Mental Health Service

The Leeds Infant Mental Health Service is part of Leeds Community Healthcare. It supports parents-to-be and caregivers with a baby up to the age of two. The specialist team promote emotional well-being in infants by supporting caregivers to build secure relationships with their babies.

Find out more about Leeds Infant Mental Health Service.

Home-Start

Home-Start are a voluntary home visiting service for families experiencing difficulties during pregnancy and caring for children up to the age of two. They provide mental health support to both mothers and/or their partners experiencing low to moderate perinatal stress, depression, anxiety and isolation.

Find out more about Home-Start.

Women’s Counselling and Therapy Service (WCTS)

WCTS offer counselling, psychotherapy, group work and casework support to women and their female partners during the perinatal period. They specialise in working with women who find mainstream services difficult to engage with, have a range of complex needs and/or experience multiple disadvantages.

Find out more about WCTS.
Download more information about WCTS.

Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Service

The Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Service at Leeds & York Partnership Foundation Trust (LYPFT) provides specialist support to women experiencing significant mental health difficulties during pregnancy and the first year following a child’s birth.

The service also provides inpatient care at the Yorkshire and Humber Mother and Baby Unit and through an Outreach Service that offers three care options to women and mental health professionals across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Find out more about Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Service.

Community Mental Health Teams

The Community Mental Health Teams at LYPFT provide a secondary care mental health service offering assessment and interventions for those experiencing more severe mental health difficulties.

These teams work with those experiencing new substantial mental health difficulties during the perinatal period, as well as those whose existing mental health difficulties have become substantially enhanced or complicated during this time.

Find out more about Community Mental Health Teams.

Further Resources

You can find more resources on perinatal and general mental wellbeing at MindWell.

Practitioners can also access professional resources via Mindwell.