Not all trauma looks the same. For some people, it is linked to a specific event — an accident, loss, or medical experience. For others, it is something that built up over time: chronic stress, relationship dynamics, emotional neglect, or...
Happy Minds blog
Online Trauma Informed Services: Safe, Compassionate Support From Anywhere
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Postnatal Anxiety Counselling Geelong: When It’s More Than New Parent Worry
Read MoreHaving a baby is often described as a joyful and deeply meaningful experience. Yet for many new parents, the postnatal period can also feel emotionally overwhelming, isolating, and frightening. While some worry is common in early parenthood, persistent anxiety that...
Hormonal changes after birth: why new parents benefit from seeing a psychologist
Read MoreHaving a baby is often described as one of life’s most joyful experiences — and it can be. But what many people don’t talk about is how intense, emotional, and overwhelming the post-birth period can feel. The dramatic hormonal shifts...
Eating disorders in pregnancy and postpartum: why they can re-emerge and when to seek support
Read MorePregnancy, birth, and early postpartum are often described as joyful and connecting—but for many women, the perinatal period can also be psychologically complex and deeply vulnerable, particularly for those with a history of eating disorders. Even when an eating disorder...
The intended mother experience in surrogacy: psychologically pregnant, often misunderstood
Read MoreIf you’re an intended mother, you can end up living in two realities at once: your life looks “not pregnant” on the outside, but internally you’re doing the tender, relentless work of becoming a parent. We think about the Intended...
Balanced counselling in surrogacy: why “us vs them” hurts everyone (and what helps instead)
Read MoreSurrogacy is built on relationships. It’s a collaborative, deeply human process that can be profoundly meaningful for intended parents, surrogates, and (in time) the child. Yet it also carries emotional complexity, high stakes, and pressure. That’s exactly why balanced psychological...
Healing from birth trauma: how EMDR therapy can help
Read MoreFor many new parents, the birth of a child is expected to be one of life’s most joyful and transformative experiences. But for some, childbirth can be overwhelming, frightening, or even traumatic. When a birth doesn’t go to plan —...
What healthy closure looks like: maintaining connection without over-attachment after surrogacy
Read MoreBy Sarah-Jayne Duryea, Principal Psychologist | Happy Minds Psychology Surrogacy is often described as a journey — one that begins with hope, deepens through trust, and ends with transformation. But the ending can be emotionally complex. Once the baby is...
The postpartum journey for surrogates: what to expect and how to support it
Read MoreBy Sarah-Jayne Duryea, Principal Psychologist | Happy Minds Psychology The end of a surrogate pregnancy marks both an arrival and a departure — the arrival of a new life and the beginning of a profound change for you, the surrogate....
Claiming Connection: Understanding Newborn Attachment After Surrogacy
Read MoreWelcoming a baby into the world is one of life’s most profound experiences. For intended parents who have built their family through surrogacy, this moment can be filled with immense joy—alongside complex emotions, uncertainty, and adjustment. While surrogacy provides a...
