Postnatal mental health is often framed as something to be managed privately, one-to-one, and behind closed doors. In this conversation, we explore what gets missed when support is built around individuals rather than connection, why group therapy can work differently to traditional models, and how identity, diagnosis, and isolation shape the postnatal experience. We also look at what happens when mental health support is rooted in shared experience, careful matching, and community, rather than long waits and coping alone.

Timestamps:

00:37 - Why mental health support after birth often isn’t accessible02:01 - What Circe is building and why group therapy matters05:32 - Why group therapy works differently to one-to-one care06:46 - How community-based group therapy actually works16:35 - Lived experience, diagnosis, and finding people who understand24:33 - Building mental health services beyond the clinical model30:38 - Community, loneliness, and what history gets right37:52 - When to seek help and the role of partners41:39 - Final reflections on being there for each other

Resources mentioned:

• Circe: ⁠https://www.hello-circe.com/⁠

• NHS Talking Therapies (England): ⁠https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/talking-therapies/⁠

• Harvard Study of Adult Development: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI⁠

  
  

  #postnatalhealth #maternalmentalhealth #motherhood #womenshealth #mentalhealth #postnatalcare #communitycare