emotional support from respect and empathy
About me
Carla Pérez Martínez
Doctor in Perinatal and Infant Psychology
I am a specialist in accompanying mothers and fathers during pregnancy, the first days of the baby and in parenting.
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Through my services, in person and online, I hope that more pregnant women, families and babies have psychological support and information to promote the development and emotional well-being of the baby, mother and family.
Throughout my professional career, I have worked with families from multiple cultures and diverse family structures. My origin as an indigenous woman and my experience living in five countries have been key to understanding the need to honor the knowledge, beliefs and traditions of each family, and thus offer emotional support based on empathy and respect.
Education and experience
My specialization in perinatal psychology was built organically. I was born and raised in Villa de Zaachila, Oaxaca, in southern Mexico where the care of the little ones is shared in community. There, I also witnessed the challenges of non-elected adolescent motherhood and fatherhood, and learned the importance of social support in parenting.
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Subsequently, my interest in knowing and understanding the human mind and behavior from birth led me to study psychology at UNAM and, thanks to the Luisa Cardona and CONACYT Fellowships, I studied a master's and doctorate in perinatal and infant psychology at the University of Valencia, Spain. During my postgraduate studies, I focused on detecting signs of emotional stress in babies (ADBB scale) and on parental psychopathology around birth (see thesis here).
Throughout my training, I have had the opportunity to collaborate in different research and psychological intervention teams such as in the psychiatry department of the Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital (Paris, France), and in the Mother Kangaroo program (Bogotá, Colombia).
Recently, I worked in the early intervention program in Boston (USA) providing psychological care to families whose babies had some type of developmental difficulties, prematurity, or some medical condition. This experience allowed me to work with mothers and fathers from very different origins and reaffirm my interest and vocation in accompanying families who are going through different challenges in parenting , or who want to have more tools to promote the development of their infants from birth.
Now, with the birth of "Psychology with Babies" I am starting a new professional path, full of enthusiasm for sharing the knowledge acquired so far.
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You can consult the summary of my curriculum vitae here .
Mission
Motherhood can also be experienced with stress, anxiety, guilt, depression, and loneliness . "This is not how I imagined it." Especially in today's context, mothers need more support and a space to think about themselves. A safe place, free from judgment and where you can learn about strategies and new forms of relationships.
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When a baby is born, a mother and father are also born. They are fulfill of fears, anguish and a lot of hope. Some parents are fearful about parenting: How can I be a good dad if I had an absent or violent father? Will I be able to raise my children differently than I was raised? In " Psicología con bebés" we reflect on our own upbringing and on the current motherhood / fatherhood that we wish to have.
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Increasingly, there are more couples made up of mothers or fathers of different origins, far from their extended families, or with little experience related to caring for babies. How difficult it is to raise alone! A psychological accompaniment that supports mom and dad in their new role and offers parenting tools is of great help for everyone's mental health.
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The most important mission of "Psicología con bebés" is to accompany you, mom / dad, in this stage full of challenges and hope. Parenthood can bring a lot of wounds to the surface, but can also be a great opportunity to heal and break cycles . I will be happy to work together!
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