Prenatal and Perinatal Psychotherapy with Adults: An Integrative Model for Empirical Testing

This article identifies an issue within the discipline of prenatal and perinatal (PPN) psychology, namely that the field currently consists of individual practitioners’ modalities without empirical validation around treatment efficacy. The goal undertaken was to integrate the PPN literature related to adult psychotherapy into a coherent and practical model to serve as a guide for students and professionals that could also be empirically tested. Covered briefly is a review of the historical and pivotal literature, a description of theory, an assessment process, PPN treatment plan, techniques to facilitate access to PPN memories, and two illustrative excerpts from sessions as examples. Finally, suggestions for methodologically testing the model are offered. Key Words: Prenatal, perinatal, adult psychotherapy, trauma, consciousness, intervention