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Donum Vitae: »Fit for the child«

»Marte Meo«: A Preventive Prenatal Counselling Service

CAROLA BASTEN | »Donum Vitae«, Region Freiburg (Germany), counselling centre. Social worker (UAS); Pregnancy Conflict Counsellor; Team Leader according to the Prague Programme for Parents and Children; Marte-Meo Therapist; Systemic Family therapist

Through my work in pregnancy conflict counselling (»Donum Vitae«), I have contact with women/couples who have decided to keep the child and who are already accompanied and counselled by us during the pregnancy. Hence, there is an existent trusting relationship before the Marte Meo work starts between parents and counsellors. This is an important precondition for a successful cooperation. ••• Prenatal Counselling Of Parents In Cases Of »High-Risk Families«: The Project »Fit For The Child« Our project »Fit for the child“ is mainly aimed at parents from high-risk groups.

These include under-aged mothers, migrants, psychologically frail women, single mothers (as long as they signalise any need for support) and women who are HIV positive. In this project Marte Meo presents an opportunity for me to support the parents-to-be in the development of parental abilities at a very early stage, that is to say, even

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before the child is born. During the last year, I have primarily worked with young mothers – aged 18 plus or minus – and noted that the period before the birth is a good point in time to convey Marte Meo. The parents are open-minded and interested, but also insecure, because they do not know what will be expected of them as future parents. Being in pleasant anticipation of the child has a motivating effect and they intend to be good parents. Therefore, they are happy to accept the counselling service. The benefit for the child resulting from this parents counselling is that the parents get to know Marte Meo in a stress-free phase (already before first difficulties can arise) and that they were able to develop their parental abilities already before the childbirth. Feeling prepared for the upcoming time with the child, they can approach their new task with confidence and optimism. For me, such a preventive approach is especially reasonable and effective because it helps to develop a stable mother-child-relationship and consequently aids both a healthy emotional and physical development of the child. Thus, the parents can decisively influence a positive development. ••• The Prenatal Parent Counselling: Two sessions of approximately one and a half hours each take place. In the first session, I will show the mothers/parents video clips displaying successful interaction between mother/father and child; e.g. a bathing situation and a swaddling situation. In the second session, pictures of a one-year old child is being swaddled. ••• Concrete steps while watching the video clips: 1. Mentioning the parents’ interest in the prenatal parents counselling in a

commendatory way.

2. Notification from the counsellor to the parents why Marte Meo is important before the birth of the child.

3. Using a simple language with parents from high-risk groups.

4. Giving the mothers/parents a task while watching the clips (e.g.: Listen how the mother of Manou talks, in what kind of tone…).

5. The counsellor summarizes what can be observed/noted in the displayed situation and gives more information on it (e.g.: What does the child learn when hearing high tones… What does the mother or father do in the clip and why? What does the child learn through that?).

6. Allowing room for the mother or the parents when they show own initiatives (e.g. ask questions) and compliment them, when they notice something themselves.

7. Talking about how the things seen/heard can be realized in the every day life as parents. What kind of impressions, knowledge, pictures does the mother, or the father, go home with?

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••• Goal setting: 1. The parents are being trained in their perceptual capacity.

2. The parents recognise reaction patterns on the emotional and linguistic level, as well as on levels of contact, action and performance.

3. Through the pictures, the parents get to know models of parenthood and they learn how attachment develops.

4. The parents are able to integrate what has been seen and heard in the daily routine with child.

5. The parents are being given an encouraging picture, which enables them to grow in their personal development, and their self-worth is strengthened.

••• Experiences made so far: 1. The expectant parents predominantly come with much interest to the prenatal

Marte Meo sessions and are highly motivated to learn.

2. The pictures appeal strongly to the parents on the emotional level and they access their own experiences as a baby, which increases the readiness to reflect and has a positive impact on their own development process.

3. The positive examples of parenthood cause a high motivation in the parents-to-be to also establish a good contact with their child and to become good parents.

4. The offer is readily accepted, since it is of an open-door policy; that is to say, we also offer it in the context of visiting counselling.

5. The already existent relationship of our counsellors with the future parents has proved to be a very stable basis for a successful parent counselling.

••• The 3 Modules Of The Project »Fit For The Child« »Donum Vitae« has integrated the prenatal counselling for parents in the project »Fit for the child«, which consists of three modules. The parents-to-be go through all the modules. Module 1: A baby simulator is given to the parents for three days and 2 nights and they have the task to look after the baby. In order to be able to discuss questions that arise, a midwife comes to visit them every day and informs them about childcare, shaken baby syndrome, day-and-night rhythm and other topics in preparation for the birth. Module 2: The prenatal parent counselling (see above).

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Module 3: Parent counselling after the birth: The parents are filmed while swaddling the child, a Marte Meo interaction analysis is made and in the Reviewing the parents are shown moments of successful communication and interaction, and they get new tasks set.

Further details: CAROLA BASTEN »Donum Vitae« Region Freiburg Leopoldring 7 79098 Freiburg Germany Tel.: (+49)-(761)-202 30 96 E-Mail: donum-vitae-freiburg@t-online.de Website: www.donum-vitae-freiburg.de

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