Perinatal service

What we do

Our Perinatal Mental Health Service assesses, treats and supports women and their partners with moderate to severe mental health problems, and bonding or emotional difficulties caring for their babies, both during pregnancy and the postnatal period until the infant is 12 months old. The service is for women residing in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Wandsworth.

Our service is rated highly on our patient satisfaction questionnaires and our team includes a perinatal psychiatrist, perinatal psychotherapist, a perinatal psychologist, perinatal specialist nurses and an occupational therapist. 

We provide an holistic approach to care, including medication, nursing visits, psychotherapy and psychological therapy sessions and groups, and occupational therapy input according to the family’s needs. 

We work jointly with children’s centres, health visitors and midwives—as well as other mental health services, if involved. Our perinatal patients are seen both in hospital and in the community.

Our team

• Dr Catia Acosta, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist
• Karina Sarmiento, Psychotherapist
• Melanie Royal-Lawson, Psychotherapist
• Kara Austin, Perinatal Specialist Nurse
• Nicos Nicolaou, Perinatal Specialist Nurse
• Sara Slydlowski, Clinical Psychologist
• Monika Kohalmi, Occupational Therapist
• Claudia de Campos, Psychotherapist

Contact information

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

1st Floor, Lift Bank C (via the eye clinic)
T: 020 3315 8646