Pregnancy and birth can be a time of significant emotional adjustment. A number of factors may impact on a parent’s emotional well-being over the course of their pregnancy and postnatal journey. These may include:

• Medical complications related to the current pregnancy or birth experience
• Having previous negative experiences related to pregnancy, birth or neonatal care that affects maternity care during a subsequent pregnancy
• Having experienced baby loss
• Having a specific phobia, such as a fear of giving birth (also called tokophobia)
• Facing complicated postnatal emotional adjustment processes

Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention Team

In addition to the professionals who are part of your maternity, medical and allied health care team, specialist assessment, advice and supports are available from NHS Grampians Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions (MNPI) team for parents in these circumstances.

The MNPI Team will provide support for emotional difficulties related to complications during pregnancy, birth and neonatal inpatient care. We are able to offer appointments from conception up to one year postnatally. The service offers inpatient, and outpatient psychological assessment and a range of evidence based psychological interventions to parents facing psychological difficulties as a result of their pregnancy and postnatal journey. The central focus in all these interventions is to enhance the parent-infant relationship, improve parental and infant mental health and to prevent a range of psychological difficulties (emotional and cognitive) in childhood and later life. The service will also provide support for maternity and neonatal staff.

We deliver outpatient appointments online via NearMe; as well as in-person individual and group appointments. In addition to our in-person appointments taking place within a consultation room in the Antenatal Clinic within Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, we can offer appointments in a clinic away from a maternity setting. For parents of babies in the Neonatal Unit we also offer appointments in the Neonatal Unit itself. We are able to offer inpatient appointments to those maternity patients requiring an inpatient stay.

Who is in our team?

The team includes clinical psychologists and a specialist perinatal mental health midwife, a service manager and administrative staff. 

The team are co-located with Maternity services and based within Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.

Who can refer to the MNPI Team?

There are a variety of different health professions that can refer you to the team – for example:

• Midwife & Maternity Staff
• Mental Health teams
• GP
• Neonatal Staff
• Health Visitor
• Family Nurse Practitioner

If you feel you need support you may wish to speak to your GP, midwife, or health professional. They can then speak to us. If you are already known to a mental health team, you may wish to discuss how you are feeling with them. We encourage you to discuss any worries or concerns that you may have with a health professional.

The MNPI Service is not a crisis or emergency service. If you are concerned about your physical or mental health, please speak to your Midwife, Health Visitor, GP or contact NHS24 on 111.

Confidentiality and consent

As health professionals, we are bound by law and our professional bodies to work confidentially with patients. During your appointments, any information you share will be kept confidential and will only be shared with those involved in your care.

There may be times we have serious concerns for your safety or the safety of others. If this occurs, we, as health professionals, have a responsibility to discuss these concerns with relevant agencies.

Once you have had an appointment with the Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions service, we normally send a letter to your GP and referrer. We may also send a letter to your midwife or Health Visitor.

Contact Us

Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions Team

Tel: 01224 550888 (option 1)

Email: gram.mnpi@nhs.scot