A group programme for postnatally distressed women and their partners

A group programme for postnatally distressed women and their partners is described. The programme consists of eight sessions, including one session for the couple. The concerns of the women centre around their anxieties and feelings towards their partners, their own mothers and their infants. Psychotherapeutic and cognitive-behavioural strategies are employed to assist them in dealing with these concerns. The concerns of the men centre around their attempts to provide emotional and practical support to their partner. Invariably such support results in an increase in tension between the partners, and the programme helps the men to understand why this happens. Formal measures show a decrease in maternal distress over time and an increase in their level of self-esteem. About half of the men show elevated levels of distress.