Infant Observation Invitation

[MHannity]

Invitation to Expectant Parents: Infant Observation

Are you due to give birth this September or October? Would you be interested in taking part in an Infant Observation with an NHS honorary psychotherapist? 

I am an honorary psychotherapist working with adults in the NHS (Adult Complex Needs, Tavistock Clinic). I need to conduct an Infant Observation as part of my NHS training in psychodynamic psychotherapy. By taking part, you can contribute to mental health services and our understanding of human development from birth.

Infant Observation is an established part of psychoanalytic training. It allows for the in-depth study of the early life and development of babies in relation to their caregiver(s) in their home environment.

I am looking for expectant parent(s) who would be interested in taking part with their infant from about 6 weeks after birth, ideally beginning Oct/Nov 2025. The observation would take place for one hour each week during term time at the infant's home at the same time each week, to be agreed between myself and the caregiver(s), for the duration of 3 academic terms (roughly 9 months to 1 year).

My role would be to non-intrusively observe and reflect on the infant's development and communications. The work is a requirement of my training at the Tavistock and would be supervised by a Tavistock clinician. Parents and caregivers can gain support and insight from taking part at this important and unique time in your baby's development.

I work with adults in an Adult Complex Needs unit in the NHS, and at Tavistock Relationships. I have worked in a psychotherapy community for survivors of human rights violations where I helped establish a mother and baby group for refugee and asylum seeking mothers. I have a Phd in Literature & I am a contributor to the London Review of Books. I am working on my first book, a history of childhood. I am coming towards the end of my psychotherapy training having already gained a postgraduate diploma in Psychotherapy from the Tavistock NHS Clinic and University of Essex.

If you would be interested in taking part with your infant, please respond to this post.

With thanks,

Mary Hannity

[Pugwash]

Good luck with this - it is getting harder than ever to do an infant observation, I did mine at a local nursery as I needed to observe a child from 9 months - 3years. Mine was weekly for 3 months, It is surprising what you can observe during that one hour. I continued to use my observational skills throughout my 21 year professional career, After I retired, I returned to University and trained as a Practice Educator and went on to have 5 students and encouraged them not just to listen but to observe their 'clients 'body languages/ environment/ relationships with others.

I would urge parents/caregivers to participate - you will be surprised how much more you will understand about your child and their development,