Dr Joanna Blades is our perinatal lead. She is a Child, Adolescent, and Perinatal Psychiatrist with experience supporting women across pre-conception, pregnancy, and the first postpartum year. Her approach is warm, collaborative, and shaped by the realities of pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early parenthood.

Request a Mental Health Treatment Plan referral from your GP, midwife, or obstetrician, then book through our patient dashboard. We typically have appointments available within 5 to 6 weeks. Urgent cases are triaged for earlier review where possible.

A GP, midwife, or obstetrician referral is recommended so that you can claim Medicare rebates with a Mental Health Treatment Plan. We accept referrals from any of these clinicians and provide a comprehensive report back to your treating team within 5 business days of the appointment.

Yes. We see women across the entire perinatal period, including pre-conception planning for women with a history of mental illness, antenatal assessment and treatment, and postnatal care through the first year after birth. Earlier engagement generally leads to better outcomes.

Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons women seek a perinatal psychiatry appointment. Several SSRIs and other psychiatric medications have well-established safety data in pregnancy and breastfeeding. We weigh the genuine risks of untreated illness against the well-characterised risks of specific medications, and you make an informed choice.