M-HELP
Mental Health and Early Loss of a Pregnancy
Welcome to the website of the M-HELP project. M-HELP is a research project led and co-funded by the University of Melbourne, with additional support from the Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation and the Frances Perry House.
Background and Vision
Approximately one in four confirmed pregnancies ends in miscarriage. In Australia, over 103,000 pregnancies are lost before 20 weeks gestation, 80% in the first trimester. Past research has shown that women frequently experience significant psychological distress, trauma and grief as a result of miscarriage, which can last weeks, months or even years. Clinically significant depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are also not uncommon. Unfortunately, because of the high frequency of miscarriage and because it can be easily managed medically (making it a “routine procedure”), the adverse mental health impacts that frequently result for both women and partners are all too often overlooked or unacknowledged by healthcare providers and among people’s social networks.
The vision of M-HELP is to investigate how best to support women and partners experiencing miscarriage, to empower and support their healthcare providers, and to supplement and improve the services currently available at Frances Perry House (FPH) by providing guidance around the mental health care and support needs of women and their partners. In addition, we aim to support the staff involved with professional development specifically centred around support care for miscarriage, and develop practical tools to assist them in delivering this care to patients.
Please do not hesitate to contact us in case you have any questions or feedback.
With warm regards,
The M-HELP team.
- Dr Marjolein Kammers
Principal Investigator
Dr Marjolein Kammers
I am a research fellow at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, and an honorary researcher at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Royal Children's Hospital. I am an individual member of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY). I am also a mum of three.
In addition to my research, I am the Program Manager of the Mental Health PhD Program.
Email
marjolein.kammers@unimelb.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
- Dr Jade Bilardi
Associate Investigator
Dr Jade Bilardi
TEXT
Email
marjolein.kammers@unimelb.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia - Prof Meredith Temple-Smith
Associate Investigator
Prof Meredith Temple-Smith
TEXT
Email
marjolein.kammers@unimelb.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia - A/Prof Christina Bryant
Associate Investigator
Associate Professor Christina Bryant
TEXT
Email
marjolein.kammers@unimelb.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia - Dr Katrin Gerber
Associate Investigator
Dr Katrin Gerber
TEXT
Email
marjolein.kammers@unimelb.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
- Clare Bellhouse
Research Assistant
Clare Bellhouse
I am a clinical psychologist who has been working in research for about 10 years and I have been involved in numerous studies regarding miscarriage and other reproductive health issues, with a focus on qualitative research. This work has included publications regarding women's experiences with the healthcare system and social support following their miscarriages, and men's experiences with the healthcare system when their partners are giving birth. I am currently completing my PhD in perinatal mental health through the University of Melbourne, which has involved developing and evaluating an antenatal psychological group program, the STAR Mums program. I also work in private practice and with an NGO, Take Two, supporting families in the Child Protection system.
Email
cbel@unimelb.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia - Winn Ma
Research Assistant
Winn Ma
Committed to continual learning, Winn is a psychology honours graduate interested in youth mental health and early intervention. In particular, she is passionate about facilitating mental health literacy and promoting mental health awareness. In her spare time, Winn enjoys swimming and spends her weekends teaching swimming and water safety to children with special needs.
Email
winn.ma@mcri.edu.au
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia - Lysha Lee
Research Assistant
Lysha Lee
Lysha is a psychology honours graduate and an advocate of physical and mental health & wellbeing across the lifespan. Passionate about research and its translation to therapeutic applicability, she has previously conducted research as part of the Decision Science Hub at Melbourne University and the cardiology department at Austin Health. She aims to pursue a career in the health sciences as a clinician researcher. Outside of work, Lysha is an active member of the powerlifting community in Victoria and enjoys supporting a range of philanthropic initiatives wherever possible.
Email
leeshllzy@gmail.com
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia - Sidney Davies
Research Assistant
Sidney Davies
Sidney is a 2019 psychology honours graduate from the University of Melbourne and has a keen interest in childhood mental health and wellbeing. Sidney spends her time working as an administrative assistant for a private psychology clinic in Melbourne as well as working as an ABA therapist, conducting one-on-one behavioural therapy with young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She hopes to begin her Masters in Clinical Psychology in 2021 and go on to work clinically in regional communities with children and adolescents across a range of mental health issues.
Email
sidneydavies@outlook.com
Address
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
We are currently looking for:
- Women and partners who have experienced early pregnancy loss within the past 12 months.
- Healthcare providers who provide care to women and partners experiencing early pregnancy loss.
To register your interest and speak to a member of our team, please select one of the two links below.
| Women and Partners | Healthcare Providers |
|---|
We would love to hear from you. If you have feedback, suggestions or questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Contact Details
Email: m-help@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: 03 8344 0993
Lead Investigator
Dr. Marjolein Kammers
Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences
Honorary Research Fellow, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Honorary Research Fellow, Royal Children's Hospital