Dr Jennifer Fenwick
Clinical Midwifery Consultant
Gosford Hospital
Naila Hassan
Early Childhood Counsellor
STARTTS
Jorge Aroche
CEO, Panel Facilitator
STARTTS
Certificate of Completion
To be issued with a Certificate of Completion you need to view the recordings by clicking on the modules listed under ‘Course Content’ below. You will need to watch the recordings in full to be issued with a certificate. If you prefer to watch individual recordings only, then click on the links for the individual recordings in the ‘Course Description’ below.
Course Description
Refugee women and their dependent children count for 80% of the world’s refugee population. The context of motherhood is frequently traumatic for refugee women; from conception to delivery and the neonatal period there are many vulnerable moments where trauma impacts on both mother and growing baby. While the most confronting trauma is rape that results in pregnancy, there are many other sources of trauma. This might be in the course of the chaos of war, refugee flight and resettlement but the birthing process is also traumatic for some women. Separations from family result in reduced support at times when most connection with attachment figures is needed. As the mother’s body is providing the care to the child (at symbolic and physiological levels), any stress the mother experiences can transfer to the child. If the type of stress is particularly traumatic, this can cause trauma to the growing foetus and baby. Trauma in utero is commonly caused by chaotic or unpredictable lifestyle factors including the mother’s exposure to war, domestic violence, lack of antenatal care, or substance misuse during pregnancy. In this Clinical Master Class, held on 10 November 2021, Dr Jennifer Fenwick shared her expertise on the implication of a mother’s traumatic experiences on the mother and baby. Naila Hassan, STARTTS’ Early Childhood Counsellor, demonstrated STARTTS’ work using a case study of a woman who had experienced significant trauma during pregnancy and labour. She reflected on the impact of these experiences on the mother and the unborn child as well as on her work with the dyad.
Recording 1: Dr Jennifer Fenwick, Clinical Midwifery Consultant, Gosford Hospital. Recording link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9efra91x_GI
Recording 2: Naila Hassan, Early Childhood Counsellor, STARTTS Recording link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6LOhRlyNVg
Recording 3: The Q&A panel discussion facilitated by STARTTS’ CEO and Clinical Psychologist, Jorge Aroche. Recording Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgR0X9N6-fk
The slide PDFs are available in the Materials tab.
This webinar was recorded on 11 March 2026. © STARTTS
Duration: 82 minutes