Thursday 10 September 2020, 11:00 – 15:00 (attended 100+)

Please join us at this highly respected Annual Infancy Conference (previously run in Bristol and organised by Paul Barrows, Consultant Child Psychotherapist, North Bristol NHS Trust)

This is the 29th Annual Infancy Conference, and streaming online this year. It is a first for AIMH (UK)and we feel priviledged to be running the event in its 29th year; we have three exceptional speakers joining us.

Dr Anna Machin: Evolutionary anthropologist and writer will present ‘Becoming Dad: The Science and Anthropology of Fatherhood’. Anna is world renowned for her pioneering work exploring the science and anthropology of fatherhood and her cross-disciplinary interpretation of human parental and romantic love; she is the author of the popular science and parenting book “The Life of Dad’: The Making of the Modern Father’.

Dr Amanda Jones: Consultant Perinatal Psychotherapist and Strategic & Clinical Lead for NELFT NHS Foundation Trust’s Parent Infant Mental Health Service. Amanda’s presentation will focus on how a father, or co-parent’s early relational history, can re-emerge and make it hard for protective love for the baby and mother to come alive. This presentation will explore some of the complex and disturbing unconscious processes that can emerge in the couple relationship when a baby is born. Often change and growth is possible, but sometimes it is not. In these situations, for the sake of the baby, helping a mother come to terms with her disappointment and loss may be another difficulty that might need to be worked through.

Raquib Ibrahim: Research & Development Officer, Mellow Parenting will be presenting ‘How to peak Dads interest in a parenting programme?’. Raq will get us all thinking more about why dads are less likely to engage with services and typical parenting programmes. What are the challenges, where are the barriers etc etc?

The conference will be relevant to all involved in working with infants and their parents/carers: including midwives, health visitors, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, paediatricians, early years workers, health visitors, CAMHS staff etc and parents/carers of course ! This conference equates to 4 CPD points