Koitida was founded by people with extensive experience and expertise in issues around the psychological functioning during pregnancy, infant mental development, and early therapeutic intervention practices to treat perinatal and infant mental health problems. We are committed to directly assisting infants and families and disseminating knowledge and good practice, including by training and supporting health professionals.
Our vision A civilised society thinks, plans, and acts for the citizens of tomorrow. It does so, not only when they are sick, but from the very dawn of their mental life, which is, at the very latest, the gestation period. From the moment of conception and until the very last day of our life, our intimate relationships of care play an integral role in our physical, mental, and social development.Understanding the significance of early subjective experiences is not only relevant to clinical practitioners working with young children. Crucially, it concerns the transmission of knowledge to the broader public. Accordingly, it is vital for the sensitization of health professionals and other key stakeholders on issues related to mapping, developing, and implementing specific social stances, practices, and policies on early health promotion.
The objectives of Koitida We seek to strengthen the mental health promotion of pregnant women, infants, and toddlers, as well as to facilitate the prevention of early-stage difficulties in the development of infants and their parents’ potential.More specifically, we seek• to contribute to developing an environment of mental health support and assistance, in which women and/or couples navigate pregnancy and the postpartum period.• to provide early intervention services so that infants can develop their full breadth of capabilities.
Why is Koitida necessary? Early affective and emotional experiences date as early as the prenatal and perinatal relationships with the mother and the environment. They are inscribed in and contribute to the bodily, brain, and psychological development of the foetus and the neonate. These experiences will guide and determine:• how physical health, emotional and mental life are regulated,• the capacity of the new organism to manage stressful situations in the future,• the expression of creativity up until adulthood.International literature shows that infants and toddlers with mental and developmental disorders who participate in early intervention programs are significantly more likely to develop resiliency and grow up healthily when compared to infants and toddlers whose mental and developmental disorders are not identified in time and are, thus, stabilised.
