In the latest episode of The Parenting Couch podcast, Rachel and Sarah talk to Arabella Gibson, CEO of The Gidget Foundation about navigating the world of new parenthood and how The Gidget Foundation can support your emotional wellbeing if you’re finding it a struggle.
Becoming a parent is the biggest change that we ever go through. Whilst it can be filled with joy, the perinatal period can come with increased anxiety, depression and other perinatal mental health issues that can often go undetected.
Arabella Gibson is the CEO of Gidget Foundation Australia – a not for profit that support expectant and new parents experiencing perinatal depression and anxiety. In this interview, she explains:
- The symptoms of post natal depression
- How do we know we’re not just sleep deprived, and it’s something more serious
- How parents can get into The Gidget House for counselling
- How The Gidget Foundation came into existence
- How The Gidget Foundation supports pregnant and new parents.
- The upgrade to Gidget House in North Sydney
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH ARABELLA GIBSON
Hear a snippet from the interview
Arabella Gibson explains the symptoms to look out for if you might have post-natal depression.
‘Symptoms can be everything from appetite changes, to increased irritability, not being able to sleep or being able to or just continually wanting to sleep and nothing else. It can be things like loss of memory, loss of concentration, finding it hard to make any kind of decisions, not enjoying the things that you used to find great enjoyment, with lots of feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. But also on the flip side of that, it can be feelings of aggravation, frustration, anger, almost rage sometimes. So it’s when you’re out of whack, you’re not your usual kind of balanced self.’ – Arabella Gibson
Listen to the interview with guest
Listen to the episode of The Parenting Couch interview with Arabella Gibson, CEO of The Gidget Foundation on your favourite podcast platform.
About Arabella Gibson
Arabella Gibson, CEO of Gidget Foundation
Arabella Gibson is the CEO of Gidget Foundation Australia, a national not-for-profit mental health organisation supporting the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents and their families. Arabella joined Gidget over five years ago, after a lengthy career in the media industry, working in executive management for small business as well as publicly listed entities in both Australia and the UK.
Arabella was formerly General Manager for iSUBSCRiBE, an online magazine subscription business, based in London. Prior to this, Arabella was the Director of Communications for Australian media entity PBL Media (Nine Entertainment Co) as well as its subsidiary businesses the Nine Network Australia and Bauer Media (formerly ACP Magazines).
Before joining ACP Magazines, Arabella was Global General Manager – Marketing & Sales for Australian icon brand, RM Williams.
Arabella participated in the advisory group to devise the Australian Government’s Women’s Health Strategy for 2020 to 2030 in Canberra and contributed to the COVID-19 National Mental Health Strategy for Children, Young People and Parents.
Named as the Not For Profit Executive of the Year in 2022, Arabella was also a finalist in The CEO Magazines’ Awards in 2018, 2019 and 2021 and a Finalist in the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards in 2019.
Arabella holds a Masters Degree in Communication Management from UTS and is a Non-Executive Director of Future Women, an organisation supporting the advancement of women to connect, learn and lead and a Non-Executive Director of Motherland, a rural support network for mothers in the bush.
Arabella and her husband have twins – a son and a daughter.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH ARABELLA GIBSON
About Gidget Foundation Australia
Gidget celebrated 21 years in September 2022
Gidget is the nickname of a vibrant young mother from Sydney who took her own life while suffering from unrecognised postnatal depression. She hid her suffering even from her loving family and friends. They created the Gidget Foundation, determined that what happened to Gidget would not happen to others.
Today, Gidget Foundation Australia assists thousands of expectant parents and their families each year and provides free psychological services to parents in need through its Gidget House face-to-face services (at an expanding number of locations), its Start Talking telehealth program and Emotional Wellbeing antenatal screening programs conducted through participating hospitals.
Gidget Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation.
Previously known as postnatal depression, perinatal anxiety and depression during pregnancy and early parenthood (the perinatal period) affects almost 100,000 Australians each year, equating to 1 in 5 new mums and 1 in 10 new dads.
Gidget House, North Sydney
A consulting room at Gidget House, North Sydney
Gidget House Provides FREE psychological services for expectant and new parents.
Their perinatal mental health specialists provide psychological support services for people who are experiencing, or at risk of developing depressive, anxiety and trauma or stressor-related disorders, and who are pregnant or have a baby up to 12 months of age. Support is also provided to people who have experienced a pregnancy or childbirth-related loss within the last 12 months, such as stillbirth, miscarriage or termination. Partners are able to access these specialised services as well.
Gidget specialists provide up to 10 sessions free of charge in person, or via video call service for clients located more than 20kms from a Gidget House*.
Gidget House professional support is provided by: Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Social Workers.
They are connected with other health services in the area enabling further referral, if required.
A referral from a GP, including a mental health care plan, is required for clients to access the free service. This referral enables the client to have 10 psychological counselling sessions with a perinatal mental health specialist, bulk billed through Medicare’s Better Access Initiative.
Clients may also access the service without a mental health care plan on a full fee paying basis.
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- Gidget House, North Sydney
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- Gidget House, North Sydney
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- Gidget House, North Sydney
Essential Details: Gidget House, North Sydney
For further information or to make an appointment. A referral and mental health care plan is needed prior to first appointment
- Address: 34 McLaren Street, North Sydney NSW 2060
- Phone: 1300 851 758
- Email: [email protected]
- Website
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH ARABELLA GIBSON
Need support right now?
PANDA
For immediate help contact PANDA on 1300 726 306. The PANDA National Perinatal Anxiety and Depression helpline is open Mon-Fri 9.00am to 7.30pm (AEST)
Lifeline
Call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Helpline is open 24 hours/day
