Course Overview

When Motherhood Changes Everything: Attachment and Matrescence explores the profound psychological, emotional, relational and identity transition that can take place during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. The course introduces matrescence as a process of “mother-becoming” and considers how this transition may activate existing attachment patterns, nervous system responses, shame, grief, care-seeking needs and relational dynamics.

Through an attachment-informed lens, the course supports practitioners to look beyond surface presentations such as anxiety, overwhelm, withdrawal or reassurance-seeking, and to consider the deeper attachment needs, protective strategies and intergenerational stories that may be shaping a mother’s experience. It also explores how therapists and helping professionals can work with co-regulation, mentalisation, psychoeducation, assessment, the therapeutic relationship and supervision to support mothers during this significant life transition.

The course is particularly relevant for practitioners working therapeutically or supportively with clients affected by pregnancy, birth, early parenthood, maternal mental health, fertility, baby loss, family change, attachment difficulties or identity transitions.

Course Description

This course offers a reflective and practice-focused exploration of matrescence through the lens of attachment theory. It begins by considering matrescence as a major developmental transition, rather than a temporary interruption to a woman’s life. Participants are invited to think about the many ways motherhood can affect a person’s sense of self, body, relationships, emotional regulation and need for support.

The course examines how becoming a mother may activate the attachment system, particularly during periods of uncertainty, vulnerability, sleep deprivation, bodily change and relational adjustment. It considers how different attachment strategies may present in practice, including anxious reassurance-seeking, avoidant self-reliance, emotional withdrawal, hypervigilance, shame, or conflict around closeness and dependency.

Using the case example of Emma, a first-time mother experiencing anxiety, overwhelm and self-doubt, the course demonstrates how an attachment-informed approach can help practitioners understand what may sit beneath a client’s distress. Rather than asking only what is wrong, the course encourages a more curious and compassionate question: what has this transition activated, and what does this mother need in order to feel safe, supported and able to reflect?

Key areas of focus include the role of the nervous system, co-regulation, mentalisation, shame, grief and loss, the wider family and social system, and the therapist’s own countertransference. The course also encourages practitioners to reflect on their own assumptions and experiences in relation to motherhood, fertility, pregnancy, loss, caregiving and attachment.

By the end of the course, participants will have a richer understanding of matrescence as an attachment transition and will be better equipped to support mothers with sensitivity, ethical awareness and relational depth.