Peer Support for You

APP’s peer support service connects you with people who have been there. We can support you if you’ve had postpartum psychosis (PP), or experienced high mood or mania after the birth of your child, or if you are a partner or family member of someone who experienced PP.

We know that discharge from hospital, from a Mother and Baby Unit or from other treatment is usually only the beginning of a longer journey to recovery.

People often tell us they have never met or talked to anyone else who has experienced PP. Myths and misunderstandings about the illness can make it harder to talk to wider family, friends or other new mums about what happened.

You can talk to us, whether you are newly recovering, considering another baby, want to talk about parenting after PP, or even if you had PP many years ago and would just like to talk, ask questions, or meet others. Our peer support volunteers are mainly women who are recovered from PP, but we have partners, grandparents, and other family members too. They have been there and understand something of what you have been through. 

We can also provide peer support and/or information if you are at high risk of postpartum psychosis (PP), because you are pregnant and have bipolar disorder. 

There are different ways for you to get support, depending on what feels most comfortable for you.

Our online peer support forum

Read other people’s posts or write your own for support from our community of members and volunteers. You can access our online peer support forum here.
You can read the forum’s terms and conditions here.

One to one support

If you live in the UK and Ireland, you can access one to one peer support via private message, email, video call, or, in some parts of the country, meet a peer supporter in person. 

Please complete this form, or email app@app-network.org to request one to one peer support, and one of our peer support coordinators will be in touch with you about your request within 3 days. 

Regional Café groups

In some areas of the country, we have lived experience café groups where women with PP, and their partners and family members, can meet together informally. There are currently groups across the UK, in Birmingham, Lancashire and South Cumbria, London, North East and North Cumbria, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sussex and Hampshire, Wales and Yorkshire. We also have groups for Dads and Co-Parents and Grandparents. Café groups meet both online on Zoom and in person, so if you can’t get to a real one, you can always join a group for a cuppa online.

Upcoming café group dates

Birmingham

Black Country

Lancashire and South Cumbria

London

North East and North Cumbria

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Sussex and Hampshire

Wales

Yorkshire

Dads and Co-parents

8-9pm, every 3rd Wednesday of the month (virtual meet up on Zoom). Zoom joining link: bit.ly/PARTNERMEET. Or, email Simon: simon@app-network.org

  • Wednesday 15th March 2023

Grandparents

To see dates beyond these listed, visit our Facebook events page.

To join a café group:

Complete this form, or email app@app-network.org for more information and to find out if there is a group in your area.

We are continuing to seek funding to make café groups available in even more regions.

In crisis?

It may take a day or so for us to reply. If you need help urgently, please contact your GP, midwife, mental health team, call 999, The Samaritans or NHS 111 Emergency and Urgent Care Services.

APP cannot provide crisis support. You can find further information about getting urgent help here. Our peer support service will be waiting to help as you begin to recover. We have all been where you are – you will get better.

Acknowledgements

Funded by Comic Relief

 

 

 

 

Big Lottery Fund logo

We are extremely grateful to the Big Lottery who funded the Peer Support Project from 2012-2016, enabling us to set up our PP community and peer support services, and to the University of Birmingham and the University of Cardiff for hosting our project.