Dr Renee Miller (Clinical Psychologist)

Name: Dr Renee Miller
Occupation: Clinical Psychologist; Psychologist
Gender

Links: https://www.antenatalandpostnatalpsychology.com.au

Renée has worked for over twenty years exclusively with women and couples facing difficulties with respect to conception, pregnancy, birth, postnatal adjustment, and reproductive loss. With a busy practice in Caulfield North, Renée recognized the need for perinatal-specific psychology services in other Melbourne locations. Renée established the Antenatal and Postnatal Psychology Network, bringing together perinatal-specific psychologists from various locations around Melbourne. Renée's aim was to facilitate a high quality service that is accessible to individuals requiring support in the conception, antenatal and early parenting phases of life. In 2018, Renée established The Perinatal Loss Centre with colleagues in midwifery and bereaved parent advocacy. This centre provides training to health professionals and resources and support to bereaved parents.

As a Clinical Psychologist working exclusively with perinatal difficulties, Renée sees many women/couples with antenatal and postnatal depression, anxiety, and/or stress - with such disorders commonly occuring at this often vulnerable time. In addition, Renée sees women/couples who are undergoing fertility problems, or assisted fertility. Renée works with women/couples who have sadly lost babies through miscarriage or stillbirth, or who have received difficult diagnoses of fetal or neonatal anomalies. She also provides counselling support to women/couples who are dealing with issues surrounding termination. Renée assists women/couples prepare for childbirth, and deal with childbirth-related distress/trauma. As part of her work, Renée helps clients address pre-existing or parenthood-related self-esteem issues, family and relationship difficulties, and other life stressors that may occur or be triggered during the pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postnatal periods. Underlying the work Renée does with new parents is the facilitation of attuned parent-child relationships.

Renée is a clinical advisor (psychology) to the Centre for Perinatal Excellence (COPE). She provides clinical consultation to staff and volunteers at Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA). Renée works closely with mother-baby Psychiatrists, and other perinatal health professionals (such as Obstetricians, Midwives, Maternal & Child Health Nurses, Geneticists, etc). Renée coordinates professional development activities for the Armadale Perinatal Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN), and is a member of the Early Years Network (an initiative of Bentleigh Bayside Community Health and the Cities of Glen Eira, Bayside and Kingston in support of families in the early parenting years).

With a background in organizations, Renée works systemically with women and couples with respect to the impact of work-place stressors on family life, managing work-life balance, as well as returning to work issues that often come up for new mums. Similarly her training and experience as a couple's therapist is highly relevant to the couple relationship that may be affected by, or be affecting perinatal difficulties.