Relationship-Based Intervention for Post-Partum Depression

Mothers and infants will be treated with dyadic psychotherapy focused on interactions, emphasizing eye contact, body language, empathy, and social reciprocity. Dyadic psychotherapy will be administered one time a week during the 8-week trial period, at the subject's home. Each session, approximately 90 minutes long, will include videotaping mother-infant interaction, watching the last session's interaction as a part of video-feedback technique, and discussing main issues in the mother-infant relationship. In addition, each session will begin and end with a- 5-minute episode of affectionate touch and gaze synchrony between the mother and her infant. During the whole therapy-trial, the therapist will also use cognitive-behavioral approach to address the mother's perception of her infant and of herself as a mother.

Mothers will receive a therapy in their homes for 8 weeks, 1.5 hours for each session by a therapist arriving at their home. Each session will address a different developmental aspects of the baby (feeding, movement, social-emotional development etc.). Therapist will ask the mother about her baby, will give information about developmental needs and expectations and will help mother to enrich child's development and deal will potential problems