<p><strong>Each month in Our stories, we’re presenting a snapshot of services based off the perspectives of both service users and service providers.</strong></p>
<p>This month’s service profile focuses on the Sunshine Parenting Program (SPP), a six-week postnatal wellbeing program for mothers who are struggling with their mental health, run by Brisbane’s Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness Inc.</p>
<p>SPP was designed by two Brisbane mums, Viv Kissane and Rani Farmer who both have first-hand experience of perinatal challenges. Viv’s experiences with perinatal mental illness encouraged her to establish Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness Inc in 2011.</p>
<p>‘I’m the mother of three children, and I experienced firsthand the devastating impact of perinatal mental illness,’ said Viv. ‘I was determined to offer other parents the support I wish I’d had. I established Peach Tree to provide compassionate, peer-led services and education.’</p><p>‘Our home here at Peach Tree House is like a parent wellbeing centre,’ said Viv.</p>
<p>‘We offer peer-support programs, education, and social-inclusion activities like yoga, music and art. Most of our staff are volunteers and the majority of our services are free. It’s a friendly, welcoming and nonjudgemental space for parents and babies.’</p>
<p>SPP is delivered across six sessions by peer-support workers. The first and last sessions involve individual discussions and one-on-one support with the SPP program manager and a psychologist. SPP is an earlyintervention program for parents who are doing it tough but who may not have a diagnosis of mental illness. It’s designed to build emotional resilience and promote self-care.</p>
<p>‘We don’t require our participants to have a diagnosed condition or a formal referral from a GP,’ said Rani. ‘This isn’t a diagnostic program with clinical assessments and outcomes. It’s an empathic environment designed to promote emotional wellness and parenting confidence.’</p>
<p>Rani is convinced that SPP is having a positive impact on the lives of mothers. ‘It might sound a bit corny, but I really do believe this program can bring a little ray of sunshine into parents’ lives, right when they need it most’.</p>
<p><strong>The program in a nutshell:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Name: </strong>Sunshine Parenting Program<br /><strong>Provider:</strong> Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness Inc<br /><strong>Service type:</strong> Brief therapy, community-based peer education for parents experiencing postnatal mental health challenges<br /><strong>Service duration: </strong>Six-week program that includes four group sessions and two individual sessions with a psychologist</p>