Group psychotherapy: an integrated approach to address sexual health and couples relationship after childbirth.

Abstract

The postpartum period is a vital stage that poses important challenges for many families and can generate difficulties in the relational and intimate level of couples, including sexuality. In spite of this, the attention provided by the public health services tends to focus on the mother-child dyad and the care of the baby, ignoring this important area of intervention. Therefore, there is a real need to offer couples resources that allow them to face this period and become a framework of affective safety for the newborn and mutual development. This paper describes an intervention, by clinical  psychologists, for couples in the puerperium, aiming at the possible prevention of sexual dysfunction, couple problems and difficulties in the psycho-affective growth of children. This group treatment includes: tackling and discussion of myths, development of efficient communication within the couple, strengthening self-esteem, information about sexuality and identification of difficulties in the couple in this phase, emphasizing the role of the father in the development of the baby. Finally, the importance of a psychological intervention in couples in the postpartum stage is concluded.