About Amy...
Dr. Amy Stanhope is a HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist, EMDR therapist and expert practitioner in the field of perinatal mental health. Amy conducted doctoral research focused on developing the evidence base for Art Psychotherapy within NHS inpatient perinatal mental health services. As the founding directing of Maternal Minds CIC, a not for profit community interest company dedicated to making therapeutic support more accessible during pregnancy and parenthood, Amy's work blends clinical practice, research and advocacy.
It is important to Amy that therapy should offer a space of safety, curiosity and non-judgement, whether that's through the image-making of art therapy, the structured reprocessing of EMDR, or simply the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client. Alongside her professional experience, as a mother herself, Amy holds lived experience which shapes her understanding of the emotional complexity of this life stage.
Research
Amy's doctoral research explored whether Art Psychotherapy could offer a feasible, appropriate, meaningful and clinically effective intervention for mothers experiencing acute mental health difficulties during the perinatal period. The study was delivered as a randomised controlled trial with a wait-list control group within an NHS inpatient Perinatal Mental Health service. Amy conducted a mixed-methods systematic review of the existing evidence base, which identified a clear gap; a need for research that was both methodologically robust and genuinely aligned with the realities of clinical practice.
At the heart of the thesis is a rich qualitative case series and thematic analysis, drawing out five master themes from the experiences of both patients and therapists: therapeutic process, the revealing image, mothering of others, mothering of self, and control. Taken together, these themes pointed to evidence of treatment acceptability, supporting the conclusion that Art Psychotherapy can be a feasible, appropriate, meaningful and effective intervention for this patient group.
Dr. Amy Stanhope's PhD thesis is available in full here.
