Developing an Evidence Base for the Use of Art Psychotherapy Within a Perinatal Mental Health Service

Primary Outcomes: * To measure the impact of art therapy within this specific perinatal client group * Attempt to establish a quality evidence base for the intervention within this setting Secondary Outcomes: * Capture the participants lived experience of Art Therapy * Measure participant interaction with art materials during Art Therapy intervention * Measure any changes in mental wellbeing of the participants during Art Therapy intervention * Monitor patient reported quality of life during Art Therapy intervention * Record changes in mother-infant interaction during Art Therapy intervention Hypotheses: * The measures will show an improvement in mental wellbeing, quality of life and mother-infant interaction in participants who receive the Art Therapy intervention compared to the baseline measurements taken at the start of the intervention. * The wait-list control group who have not yet received the intervention will display lower scores on the above measures, prior to receiving the Art Therapy intervention. The aim of this study is to measure the impact of art therapy within this specific perinatal client group in order to attempt to establish an evidence base for the intervention within this setting; while following a primarily quantitative approach with complimentary qualitative elements. Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy, based upon the premise of utilising art materials as a form of expression and communication; the roots of the theoretical approach lie in a psychodynamic approach to working with the unconscious.