Professor Heather O’Mahen
Heather is Professor in Perinatal Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter.
Heather is committed to improving access to quality mental health care for parents in the perinatal period. She has conducted a number of clinical trials of treatments that have been adapted for perinatal depression and anxiety, and this research has contributed to National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance in England and Wales. She also conducts research on specific factors that contribute to parental and child well-being, and has used this to improve perinatal interventions.
Heather holds a number of national roles in perinatal mental health, where she advises on policy and guidance for the treatment of perinatal mental health in the UK, and provides training for clinicians in psychological treatments, including through the FutureLearn online platform, and has
Her evidence-based treatment for postnatal depression, developed with clinicians and mothers with postnatal depression, is included on this website (see self help booklet for postnatal depression).
Dr Jonathan Evans
Jonathan is a Consultant Senior Lecturer at Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, and a Consultant Psychiatrist.
Jonathan co-chairs the IMPROVE Health Integration Team, which works to improve the services and support for parents with mental health issues before and after the birth of their child.
He is also currently leading on a feasibility trial, the ADAGIO trial, which is comparing two one-to-one talking therapies: Interpersonal Counselling (IPC) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for women experiencing depression during pregnancy.
More broadly Jonathan’s research focuses on the epidemiology of depression, with a particular focus on maternal depression and its treatment. He also studies the mental health of fathers and the intergenerational transmission of depression.
Dr Hannah Family
Hannah is a Chartered Psychologist and Research Fellow at Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol.
With Jonathan and Heather, Hannah is evaluating the support provided to women and their families by specialist perinatal community mental health services in the National Health Service in the UK.
Hannah is a mum to a 3 year old boy, who she had whilst she was living in France. Whilst she was living in France she was vice president of a community group that offered social support to parents and young children through antenatal groups and parent and infant/ toddler groups.
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Perinatal Treatment 