When Women Are Heard: The Power of Listening in Maternal Mental Health

Our survey this year overwhelmingly showed how women do not feel listened to with regards to their mental health... We want to highlight the power of women knowing it is ok to express their needs, feelings, and experiences...”

PMHP UK, official organisers of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week

When a woman becomes a mother, her world shifts entirely. Yet, far too often, her voice fades into the background—especially when she’s struggling. DorPIP was built on a simple but radical belief: when mothers are truly listened to, healing becomes possible so that she can begin to trust herself, feel emotionally safe, and form a strong, secure attachment with her baby.

This case study tells the story of “T”, a mother in her early 30s navigating life with two young children, a history of emotional neglect, and deep-seated anxiety. Like many mothers, T came to the service feeling overwhelmed, hypervigilant, and disconnected—not just from those around her, but from herself.

T’s story is sadly familiar. Her feelings of guilt, fear of judgment, and low self-worth were compounded by intrusive thoughts and the weight of unprocessed trauma. She worried constantly about how her mental health might affect her children, yet felt she had no space to voice those concerns without shame.

What changed? She was heard.

Through our trauma-informed, attachment-based sessions, T found a safe and non-judgmental space to begin unpacking her experiences. She explored the roots of her anxiety, gradually regained confidence in her parenting, and started to rewrite the story she had come to believe about herself.

With patient encouragement, she began to re-enter the world—taking her children to soft play, swimming, and other spaces she once avoided for fear of being judged. These may seem like small steps, but for T, they represented enormous personal growth.

Importantly, she began to set boundaries, practice self-care, and see her own needs as valid—not selfish. Over time, her confidence flourished. She reported greater emotional stability, stronger bonds with her children, and a renewed belief in her ability to parent well, even during high-stress moments.

At the end of her work with DorPIP, the data told its own story: reduced risk, improved parent-child relationships, and a household environment that had shifted from “strained” to “good enough.” But more powerful still were her own words: “My confidence has grown massively.”

T’s journey reminds us that supporting maternal mental health isn’t just about offering services—it’s about listening, validating, and walking alongside women as they reclaim their voice.

When we create space for mothers to say, “This is how I feel,” without fear or judgment, we begin to shift the narrative. We begin to heal not just individuals, but families and communities.

Let’s keep listening. Let’s keep supporting. Because when a mother is truly heard, everything changes.

#MaternalMentalHealth #AttachmentInformedCare #ParentInfantRelationship #WomenDeserveToBeHeard