KOITIDA Institute’s Advanced Training Programme in Perinatal Mental Health is an interdisciplinary programe that connects current scientific knowledge with clinical practice and the everyday experience of healthcare professionals.
Promoting Mental Health During Pregnancy and the Neonatal and Infant Periods: Prevention of Psychopathology and Early Intervention
The programme aims to strengthen the ability of frontline healthcare professionals to identify, at an early stage, mental health difficulties that may affect parents, infants and the relationship between them, as well as to develop appropriate frameworks for prevention and early intervention.
26 September 2026 – 27 February 2027
Saturday, 09:30–14:30
In person or online, with the option to choose a different attendance format for each module
Building 2 PAVILLON, Ελληνικό Ινστιτούτο Pasteur
1.300€ payable in three instalments
10 July 2026
The Advanced Training Programme is structured around four key thematic areas, which run across the ten modules and connect theoretical knowledge with clinical practice.
This thematic area explores the psychological dimensions of the desire to have a child, pregnancy, the transition to parenthood and the early psychological processes associated with the arrival of an infant. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the pregnant woman, the parents and the infant as members of an emerging relational system, within which the earliest bonds, expectations, anxieties and care needs begin to take shape.
This thematic area examines the importance of early experiences in the infant’s physical, psychological and developmental journey. It explores the relationship between brain development, epigenetic mechanisms, perinatal stress and early forms of trauma or vulnerability. The aim is to help healthcare professionals understand how biological, psychological and environmental factors interact from the earliest stages of life.
This thematic area focuses on prevention, the early identification of difficulties and the development of appropriate interventions during the perinatal, neonatal and infant periods. Particular emphasis is placed on collaboration between healthcare and mental health professionals, ensuring that care for the pregnant woman, the infant and the family is characterized by continuity, coherence and sensitivity to the individual needs of each case.
This thematic area focuses on the parent–infant relationship and the contexts in which it develops. It includes understanding infant communication, family functioning, different family structures and forms of parenthood, as well as the professional team supporting the infant and the parents. It also provides space for a psychosomatic understanding of the neonatal and infant periods, during which the infant’s body may express difficulties relating to regulation, relationships and the caregiving environment.
By completing the programme, participants will deepen their knowledge and develop practical tools that can more effectively support their everyday professional practice.
Recognize signs of psychological or developmental difficulty in the parent, the infant and the relationship between them.
Understand the role of perinatal stress, early experiences and the caregiving environment in the infant’s developmental journey.
Reflect on clinical examples and integrate new knowledge into the way they observe, understand and approach each case.
Collaborate more effectively with professionals from different disciplines, supporting continuity and coherence of care.
Meropi Michaleli is a Psychologist, Psychoanalyst and Founder of the KOITIDA Institute. She is a member of the Hellenic Psychoanalytical Society, the International Psychoanalytical Association and the European Psychoanalytic Federation for Children and Adolescents. She is the Scientific Director of the Advanced Training Programme in Perinatal Mental Health and contributes to modules relating to pregnancy, parenthood, early therapeutic interventions, infertility and psychosomatic expression during infancy.
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maternal–Fetal and Perinatal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens – “Alexandra” General Hospital.
Child Psychologist and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist for Children and Adolescents, with clinical experience in the UK National Health Service (NHS).
Adult and Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
Psychologist trained in complex trauma, perinatal mental health and LGBTQI+ mental health.
Reproductive Obstetrician–Gynaecologist, Associate Professor at the University of Nicosia and Scientific Director of HYGEIA IVF – Embryogenesis.
Paediatrician–Neonatologist and Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at MITERA Maternity Hospital.
Psychologist with experience in the therapeutic care of children and adolescents and in early intervention for families with infants.
Psychologist, Family and Systemic Psychotherapist, Supervisor and Trainer. PhD candidate at the University of Essex.
Professor of Biology and Behavioural Biology at the Department of Nursing, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and former President of the Hellenic Society for Neuroscience.
Director in the Greek National Health System, First Department of Neonatology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and PhD graduate of the School of Medicine, University of Ioannina.
Learn more about the program’s scientific team here.
There is an urgent need in Greece for pregnancy and infancy to be supported by professionals who are appropriately trained to understand the psychological functioning of the mother, the infant and the couple during this period. Today, more than ever, birth is a collective experience. As a society and as healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to continually examine the practices we apply to prevent infant abandonment, neglect and abuse. The experience of childbirth can help transform even a deeply traumatised parent’s past, provided that they receive appropriate support from professionals working in childbirth and infant care.
For any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The programme is designed for professionals and postgraduate students in relevant healthcare, mental health and social care disciplines, including:
Obstetricians | Midwives | Gynaecologists | Neonatologists | Paediatricians | Physiotherapists | Social Workers | Nutritionists | Psychologists | Child Psychiatrists | Nurses | Speech and Language Therapists
It is also open to other professionals working in healthcare or related fields who wish to broaden their knowledge and deepen their understanding of the early identification of psychological and developmental difficulties, the connection between early experiences and subsequent development, and the development of appropriate interventions and referral pathways.
Yes. Participants may change their attendance format for each module, provided that KOITIDA is informed in advance. This allows us to manage the number of available places at the venue appropriately.
In the event of a serious impediment, participants must inform KOITIDA in advance. The effect of an absence on eligibility for the certificate of participation must be clarified before the final answer is published.
Yes. The programme consists of ten thematic modules, and attendance at all modules is mandatory.
Upon completion of the programme, participants receive a certificate of participation from KOITIDA. This certificate does not constitute a professional specialisation or qualification.
Yes. Participants are provided with relevant citations covering the topics addressed throughout the programme. The trainers’ presentations are also shared with participants.
Participation includes access to recommended bibliography, presentations and supplementary educational material provided by the trainers. Participants may also access available items from the recommended bibliography through KOITIDA’s lending library.
Pregnancy, the birth of a child and the first years of life are periods of significant change for the entire family. Throughout this journey, parents come into contact with...
The perinatal period is not only a time of medical care and monitoring. It is also a period of profound psychological adjustment, during which pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period and the developing relationship with the infant may bring...
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