Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Identity, Motherhood & the Perinatal Journey
Supporting mothers, birthing people, and professionals through pregnancy, birth, fertility, loss, parenthood, and the person you are becoming.
You’ve worked hard holding everything together for everyone else.
Here, you can let go and focus on yourself.
If you’re considering therapy or have questions, you’re warmly invited to get in touch through the form below.
You can also read more about me and how I work.
About Me
I'm Dona, a psychodynamic counsellor and psychotherapist with over 20 years' experience in senior NHS roles across maternity care and perinatal mental health.
I've worked alongside people through some of the most vulnerable and life-changing experiences, which has given me a deep appreciation of how what happens to us shapes how we see ourselves, relate to others and move through the world.
I specialise in working with mothers, birthing people and perinatal professionals facing the emotional challenges around pregnancy, birth, fertility, loss and parenthood. I also work with people experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, life changes or questions about who they are.
About My Practice
- BACP-registered psychodynamic psychotherapist with specialist training in perinatal and maternal mental health
- Therapeutic support for parents navigating pregnancy, birth, early parenthood, infertility, and loss, and reflective space for perinatal professionals carrying the emotional weight of complex relational work
- A calm, confidential online setting offering space to slow down, make sense of emotional challenges, and reconnect with what matters
- Free 20-minute initial consultation
Services
Psychodynamic Perinatal Therapy
This service is for anyone going through pregnancy, birth, early parenthood, or the emotional demands of perinatal work. Together, we create a space to reflect on your experiences and the patterns that shape your feelings.
Birth Trauma Processing
If your birth experience felt frightening, overwhelming, or very different from what you expected, we will take things slowly and carefully. We focus on building a sense of safety first so what happened doesn't keep feeling heavier than it should.
Birth Reflections
This is a structured 90-minute session, with an optional follow-up, where we revisit your birth experience together. We look at both the facts and your feelings in a caring and supportive space.
Support for Perinatal Anxiety & Intrusive Thoughts
If you are struggling with worry, intrusive thoughts, or strong emotions during pregnancy or early parenthood, we will explore what is causing these feelings and find ways to ease their impact on your daily life.
Motherhood Identity Work
Becoming a mother can change your roles, relationships, and how you see yourself. This space helps you figure out who you are becoming, even if some parts still feel uncertain.
Relational Parenting Support
This support focuses on the early patterns, attachment, and emotions that influence your parenting. Together, we use this understanding to help you build a stronger connection with your child.
Specialist Consultation for Perinatal Professionals
This service is for professionals supporting parents and families across maternity, neonatal, education, and early-years settings. It offers reflective support to help you process the emotional challenges of your work and sustain yourself in roles that carry deep relational and emotional responsibility.
Therapy for Perinatal Professionals
This therapy is for times when your work is not the only thing on your mind. It offers personal, psychodynamic support for anxiety, burnout, or stress that can come with perinatal roles, and helps you care for the parts of yourself that your job may overlook.
My Approach
My approach is warm, thoughtful and curious. I offer a confidential space where you can explore what feels important to you without judgement.
As a psychodynamic psychotherapist, I'm interested in how
our early relationships and the unconscious ways we learn to cope can continue to shape our lives today.
My work is also:
- Relational – paying attention to how you relate to families, teams, and yourself
- Trauma‑informed – sensitive to the impact of trauma on both families and professionals
- Psychotherapeutic – working with depth, not just surface‑level coping strategies
- Grounded in attachment theory – attuned to early relational patterns and their influence
- Rooted in the realities of maternity and perinatal work – responsive to the emotional, organisational, and ethical pressures of your role
- Anti-oppressive - informed by an understanding
that our lives are shaped not only by our personal experiences and relationships, but also by the wider social and cultural worlds we are part of.
Whether in reflective practice or therapy, together, we can explore the stories that have shaped you, make sense of your experiences, and find some relief from what is weighing on you now.
I'm particularly interested in the stories we inherit about
who we should be, where we belong and which parts of ourselves are acceptable.
Family, culture, heritage, gender and relationships all
shape how we come to see ourselves and our place in the world. Our experiences of belonging, difference, acceptance, and how others see us can also shape how we understand ourselves.
Sometimes we learn to hide, minimise or distance ourselves
from parts of who we are in order to fit in, protect ourselves or feel accepted.
Over time, this can leave us feeling disconnected from
ourselves, our needs or our sense of who we are.
Understanding the past isn't about staying anchored in it.
It's about creating space to reflect on your experiences and, at your pace, finding more freedom and choice in the present.
Sessions & Fees
These are 50-minute online sessions for those who want personal therapy. We will work together to find a pace and depth that feels right for you, whether you need support for a short time or over a longer period.
- Fee: £100
This 90-minute session gives you space to revisit your birth experience with support and structure. If you need more time, a follow-up session is available.
- Fee: £150
Reflective consultations are available for anyone working with parents and families, including midwives, obstetricians, neonatal clinicians, health visitors, maternity staff, doulas, birth workers, teachers and early-years practitioners. These sessions help you consider the emotional impact of your work and can be one-time or ongoing.
- Fee: £150 per 90-minute session
48 hours’ notice required; late cancellation charged in full.
Daytime appointments on Tuesdays. Early evening appointments on Monday and Thursday. Contact me for current availability.
Based in Caterham, Surrey
Online practice supporting people locally and across the UK.
Open to adults of all identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Limited concessionary places available. Please mention when you contact me.
How to Begin
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, and you don’t need to have everything worked out before you contact me. If you would like to explore working together, please do email or phone me to arrange a free 20-minute consultation.
Sessions are usually weekly to support continuity and depth. We can discuss what feels right for you.
Next Step:
A Free 20-Minute Consultation Call
This is a chance for you to ask any questions and get a sense of what it would be like to work with me and whether this feels like a comfortable fit.
Your First Session
If you decide to go ahead, your first session is a starting point. I’ll ask some questions to understand your background and what you’re hoping for.
People often leave a first session with a mix of feelings, relief, uncertainty, tenderness, or a quiet sense of hope. All of this is completely normal. We build the work gradually from here.
Contact
You don’t need to have the right words before you reach out. If something here has resonated, you’re welcome to get in touch, and we can take it from there.
I usually reply within 1–3 working days.
A Free 20-Minute Consultation Call
You’re also welcome to book a free 20-minute consultation call if you would like to talk things through first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to have a specific problem to come to therapy?
No. Many people come to therapy with a clear difficulty, and many come with a vaguer sense that something is not quite right. Both are equally valid. You do not need to have the words for it yet.
How is psychodynamic therapy different from CBT?
CBT focuses on changing thoughts and behaviours in the present. Psychodynamic therapy is interested in understanding why you think, feel, and behave as you do, and where those patterns came from. It tends to be more open-ended, more exploratory, and more focused on the relationship between us as part of the work itself. Neither is better than the other; they suit different people and different needs.
How long will I need to come?
Therapy doesn’t have a fixed timeline. Some people come for a short period to focus on something specific; others stay longer as deeper layers begin to unfold. I offer both short‑term and long‑term therapy, and together we’ll find the pace and rhythm that feels right for you.
What if I have never had therapy before?
You are very welcome. A lot of people come to therapy for the first time feeling uncertain about what to expect or whether it will ‘work’ for them. The consultation call is a good place to ask anything you are wondering about, and the early sessions are always about settling in gradually.
Is everything I say confidential?
Yes. Everything you share with me is held in complete confidence. The only exceptions are the situations required by law, where there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others, and I would discuss this with you directly, wherever possible.
Do you offer online sessions only?
Yes, I work entirely online. Many people find this more accessible, and in my experience, it does not diminish the depth or quality of the work. All you need is a private space and a reliable internet connection.
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