Once upon a Pandemic: 'Online' Therapeutic Groupwork for Infants and Mothers Impacted by Family Violence

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 23; p. 16143
• Main Authors: Bunston, Wendy, Haufe, Dianne J, Wallis, Jillian R, Fletcher, Robyn, Mether, Adrian J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 02-12-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Adaptation; Aggression; Australia - epidemiology; Babies; Caregivers; Case Report; Case studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Communicable Disease Control; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Domestic violence; Domestic Violence - psychology; Early intervention; Families & family life; Family work relationship; Female; Group work; Humans; Infant; Infants; Internet; Intervention; Maternal and infant welfare; Mental health; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Pandemics; Subjectivity; Technology; Trauma; Violence; Working mothers; Australia; groupwork; domestic and family violence; COVID 19 pandemic; infant mental health; online therapy
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192316143

This case study describes the transition to an 'online' delivery of an evaluated infant mental health group work intervention for infants/mothers impacted by family violence during the COVID 19 pandemic. The imperative to provide early intervention to infants and their mother is outlined. The model and practice principles integral to this intervention are provided and described are four separate groups run online within two different Australian cities. Facilitators of the groups found that they were able to hold the infants and mothers safely in the online space despite the unexpected presence of others in the families' homes. The home-based nature of the work caused by lockdown restrictions revealed a transparency not found in office-based work, whilst simultaneously, evoking some discomfort. The ease with which infants and young children embraced technology worked in favor of using the online space. Playful, restorative, and creative ways of engaging with a highly vulnerable cohort of families were achieved; enhancing relational repair following both family violence and the isolation created by restrictions imposed by lockdowns. Despite an initial hesitancy to move online, the authors discovered meaningful ways through which to engage, treat and provide safe relational repair work with infants and their mothers impacted by family violence.