Perinatal Mental Health Week 2025

23–29 November 2025

Perinatal Mental Health Week 2025 brings together 67 organisations across Australia to acknowledge the emotional realities of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. This year’s theme, “What you need, when you need it,” highlights a simple but powerful truth: every parent deserves timely and compassionate support. For some families, that support takes the form of clarity and education. For others, it may mean immediate emotional care during a crisis. The heart of this week is about meeting parents exactly where they are, reducing stigma, and opening clear pathways to help.

As part of this national effort, Pregnancy Counselling Link (PCL) stands alongside the PMHWeek network to promote awareness, encourage help-seeking, and ensure that parents in Brisbane and beyond can access the right support at the right time. The PMHWeek website, pmhweek.org.au, is the central hub for information, resources, and guidance throughout the week.

Parents living in rural and remote communities often face profound isolation. The physical distance from family and friends, long travel times to services, and the relentless demands of farm or rural work can create a sense of isolation, exacerbating the challenges of raising children. These experiences are not signs of personal weakness; they are understandable responses to unique pressures. The reality is that mental health support in rural settings can be harder to access, which only compounds the emotional load.

Organisations such as Motherland Australia, ForWhen, and PANDA play a vital role in bridging that distance by offering connection, education, and pathways to care.

Even in a city like Brisbane, parents can experience deep emotional isolation. Physical distance is only one kind of separation, lack of family support, shifting friendships, relationship stress, or feeling disconnected from community can create the same sense of aloneness that rural parents describe. Many Brisbane-based parents seek support because isolation can be emotional as much as geographical. You don’t have to live far from services to feel far from support, and reaching out can be an important step toward feeling more connected.

Support exists across both local and national networks, and there are pathways to help no matter where you live or what your circumstances look like.

Perinatal grief can take many forms, pregnancy loss, stillbirth, the death of a newborn, birth trauma, or even the loss of a future imagined. Grief is deeply personal and doesn’t follow a predictable timeline. Many parents describe feeling misunderstood or emotionally alone, especially when well-intentioned comments minimise their experience. What matters most in grief is compassionate acknowledgement, space to feel, and access to specialised support.

Services such as Red Nose, SANDS, PANDA, Still Aware, Pink Elephants Support Network and COPE offer pathways to professional and peer support that understand the complexity of perinatal loss. Within Brisbane, PCL provides counselling for parents navigating grief during pregnancy or after birth, helping them name their emotions, understand their responses, and connect with further supports when needed. Counselling is not about “moving on,” but about being accompanied through a deeply human experience. No one needs to carry this alone, and support remains available at every stage.

More resources are available through pmhweek.org.au.

Feeling understood can change everything. Peer support provides a unique kind of validation, connection with someone who has genuinely “been there,” who can offer a listening ear and shared experience rather than judgment or advice. Research consistently shows that peer connection can reduce loneliness, ease emotional distress, and encourage early help-seeking.

Organisations such as Caring Mums, Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness, and Gidget Foundation Australia provide opportunities for parents to connect with others in similar circumstances. PCL complements these services with counselling and practical support and we are proud to offer Koala Joeys. Our counsellor-led, parent-and-baby program grounded in attachment, mindfulness, and connection. Koala Joeys gives parents a space to build confidence, strengthen their bond with their baby, and connect with others who understand the emotional intensity of early parenting. Parents interested in joining future groups are invited to register for Koala Joeys 2026, as places are limited and fill quickly. Peer connection is not just beneficial, it can be transformative.

New fathers and partners often feel pressure to appear strong, calm, and capable, even while navigating enormous emotional change. Many describe feeling responsible for “holding everything together,” which can lead to silence, withdrawal, or fear of being judged for struggling. Stress in fatherhood is not a sign of failure, it is a human response to a demanding season of life.

Organisations like Healthy Male, Dads Group Australia, DadSpace, Prepared Dad Foundation and SMS4Dads highlight that fathers’ mental health matters and that care and connection are available specifically for men.
Here at PCL, we greatly value Peach Tree and the work they do to support fathers and partners. Peach Tree runs dedicated Dads & Partners groups, facilitated by peer workers with lived experience of perinatal mental health. They also offer Circle of Security Parenting workshops and other parenting education programs that help families build emotional connection and resilience.

Father-focused information and services can be found at pmhweek.org.au.

Parents of multiples often face unique emotional, logistical, and physical demands. The intense cycle of feeding, settling, and caring for two or more babies can make leaving the house, or even holding a conversation, feel impossible. It is common for parents of multiples to feel deeply isolated, exhausted, and unsure where to find support beyond medical care.

The Australian Multiple Birth Association (AMBA), COPE, and Peach Tree offer connection, education, and practical pathways for parents raising twins, triplets, or more. PCL counsellors often work with parents of multiples who are adjusting to their new identity, managing fatigue, or rebuilding confidence. Counselling can provide a space to pause, reflect, and access referrals to community groups that understand the intensity of this journey. Feeling overwhelmed does not mean you are failing; it means you are human, and support is available.

The journey of premature birth, NICU care, or medical uncertainty can be overwhelming for parents. Many describe feelings of fear, powerlessness, or guilt, alongside intense worry about their baby’s well-being. This experience can be traumatic, and acknowledging that trauma is an important first step. Parents matter too, and their emotional needs are real.

Services such as ForWhen, Miracle Babies Foundation, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby provide guidance, navigation, and specialised support for families experiencing premature birth or NICU admission. PCL counsellors often support parents during transitions home from hospital or in the emotional aftermath of the NICU experience, helping them make sense of what they’ve been through and access further services when required. Support can lessen the emotional load and help families find steadiness as they move into the next stage of parenting.

Postpartum psychosis is rare but serious, and it requires immediate medical intervention. Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, confusion, or a dramatic shift in mood or behaviour. It is a medical emergency and not a reflection of character or capability. Rapid action saves lives, and treatment can lead to full recovery.

In an emergency, 000 is the immediate pathway to help. The PANDA National Helpline (1300 726 306) provides urgent guidance and support, and COPE offers information and pathways for specialist care. While PCL does not provide crisis intervention, we play an important role in supporting families after acute care and helping parents access longer-term counselling and referrals. Awareness, early recognition, and immediate action are essential, and stigma should never delay care.

Perinatal mental health challenges are common, human, and deserving of care. PMHWeek encourages open conversations so parents feel safe seeking help early, rather than waiting until they are in crisis. Support looks different for everyone, peer groups, counselling, education, helplines, and specialist services are all valid pathways.

As part of this national movement, PCL remains committed to providing counselling, connection, and referral pathways for parents in Brisbane. Whether you are navigating fertility, pregnancy, birth, loss, early parenting, or relationship changes, you are welcome to reach out. If community connection is something you are seeking, Koala Joeys offers a meaningful way to build attachment, deepen parent–baby bonding, practise mindfulness, and connect with others. Registrations are now open for Koala Joeys 2026.

Support is available. Conversations matter. And help can start at any point in the journey.

For local and national resources and ways to get involved, visit pmhweek.org.au.