Birth Debriefing & Trauma Recovery Services
90 minutes · €135 · Online or in Málaga · Payment plans available
There is no right way to arrive here.
You don't need your notes, a clear timeline, or certainty that what you experienced "counts." You just need to feel that something is still unresolved, and be ready to have one honest conversation about it.
This 90-minute, trauma-informed Birth Debrief helps you make sense of what happened, understand the decisions that were made, and finally stop replaying it alone.
Whether your birth was last month or several years ago, if it's still with you, this space is for you.
90 minutes · €135 · online or in Málaga
What Is a Birth Debrief?
It is a structured but gentle conversation that supports emotional processing after birth. It's designed to help you talk through your experience, share your feelings, ask questions, and explore how the birth may have impacted you, in a safe space, free of judgment or pressure to feel a certain way.
People seek a debrief after all kinds of births: planned or unplanned, medical or physiological, straightforward or with induction. What matters isn’t how the birth “looked” on paper, but how it felt to you.
A birth debrief can help bring clarity, reduce lingering distress, restore your sense of agency and support emotional integration after birth.
Who Is a Birth Debrief For?
A birth debrief may be helpful if:
You feel emotionally stuck: You feel upset, unsettled, or distressed following your birth experience.
Your memories feel fragmented: Parts of your birth feel confusing, hard to talk about, or incomplete.
You are replaying moments: You find yourself stuck replaying intense moments from your birth in your mind.
You aren't sure if it’s "trauma": You are questioning whether your experience "counts" or if your feelings are valid.
You had a complex delivery: You experienced an assisted birth, emergency c-section, severe tearing, or difficulties with pain management.
You have experienced baby loss: You need a supportive, trauma-aware space to process your journey.
You are planning your next steps: You need to reflect and understand your first birth before considering another pregnancy.
Note: You do not need a medical diagnosis, birth records, or a perfect narrative to begin. If your birth experience is still "living" in your body or your thoughts, this space is here for you.
My practice is built on specialist clinical training and lived experience. I hold a Bachelor's in Counselling (Academie voor Coaching en Counselling, Netherlands, 2024), a Doula Certification (BIA Doula Training, Amsterdam, 2018), and specialist certification as a 3 Steps Rewind Practitioner for birth trauma resolution (2022). I am additionally trained in Anxiety in the Perinatal Period (TBR College of Perinatal Emotional Health, 2021), Supporting Survivors in the Perinatal Period (Resilient Birth, 2021), and Supporting Neurodiverse Birth (Neurodivergent Birth UK, 2024).
I practise in accordance with my Ethical Commitment & Professional Standards, which cover confidentiality, consent, safeguarding, and ongoing supervision.
Investment · €135 · 90 minutes
This is a dedicated, unhurried space, not a brief consultation. Your investment includes a personal review of your intake before we meet, your full 90-minute session, a personalised integration guide sent to you within 48 hours, and one week of follow-up support as your story continues to settle.
If the investment feels like a stretch right now, payment plans are available. Please mention this when you book; it is not a problem to ask.
Processing Your Difficult Birth in a Neuro-Affirming and Safe Space
During the postnatal period, your mind may struggle to process a flood of sensory information and complex feelings. My Debriefing Services offer a structured, sensory-safe environment where you can share your experience with a postnatal mental health professional who understands both the physiology of childbirth and the nuances of the neurodivergent brain.
Whether you are navigating ADHD, autism, or experiencing birth trauma, this is a space of unwavering respect. My goal is to help you reduce the "cognitive load" of unanswered questions, guiding you toward emotional regulation and a reclaimed sense of self, while providing a safe space to reflect.
If you need a slower pace, frequent breaks, or specific accommodations, please don't be afraid to ask; I want to assure you that this space is adapted to you. As we look back on your story, my priority is your nervous system regulation; we work at a "titrated" pace (small, manageable pieces) to minimise the risk of anguish and prioritise your autonomy.
What Are The Potential Benefits?
I combine my background as a Doula and Counsellor to provide support that is validating rather than just clinical. We don’t just "talk about" the birth; we honour the uniqueness of your nervous system. By integrating trauma-informed care and birth physiology, we explore the 5 P's of the labour process *(Passenger, Passage, Powers, Position, and Psychy), helping you find the logic and "the why" behind your experience, fostering a sense of resilience that feels authentic to you.
Close the 'Open Loops': Understand the medical reasoning behind decisions to help soothe the ADHD "need to know."
Sensory-Safe Processing: A pace that respects your communication style, whether you need deep detail or extra time to find the right words.
Reclaim Your Agency: Sometimes, the lack of consent during labour and birth can lead to feelings of disempowerment. You can take back ownership of your narrative and move forward with autonomy.
Partner Support: Enhance connection by helping your birth partner understand the physiological and emotional reality of your journey.
Identify Triggers: We look at what creates excessive pain in labour, or what can lead to complications like post-partum haemorrhage, or whether it was physical, environmental, obstetric violence or a lack of accommodation to your specific needs, to help you process the trauma response.
*5 P's framework—a recognised tool in perinatal support to help categorise and process the physical and psychological aspects of your birth story.
Birth debriefing is increasingly recognised as a reflective, emotionally supportive process rather than a clinical intervention. Conceptual and professional literature describe it as a person-led opportunity to explore meaning, emotions, and unanswered questions after birth, particularly where experiences felt confusing, overpowering, or unresolved.
Research highlights that while it does not replace psychological therapy, it can play a valuable role in guiding understanding, integration, and recovery when offered in a trauma-aware, consent-based way.
A safe space to process your birth experience
Whether you need a slower pace, frequent breaks, or specific accommodations, don't be afraid to ask; this space is adapted to you. As we look back on your birth, my priority is your nervous system regulation; we work at a "titrated" pace (small, manageable pieces) to minimise the risk of retraumatization and prioritise your autonomy. Here, you regain your agency and find safety at your own speed. Your emotional and psychological well-being is my priority
Birth Debriefing for English Speakers in the Netherlands & Spain, and Worldwide
"After my twin birth, I felt stuck in the 'what ifs.' Tania's birth debrief helped me finally make sense of my medical notes without feeling overwhelmed."
— Sarah —
If your birth is still with you, this space is here
My twins were born in 2010 in Portugal. I was 29, and although I am Portuguese, I had been living in London and had been following there through most of my pregnancy. When the time came, I gave birth in a country I knew, but in a medical system I didn't, with none of the preparation, the language of consent, or the relational continuity I had been building in the UK.
What happened in that theatre took me seven years to begin to understand.
I didn't have a word for what I was carrying. I only knew that something in me had been left behind in that room, and that no amount of gratitude for my healthy babies made it less true.
The AuDHD diagnosis came later. It gave me the framework I had been missing: why the sensory experience of that birth had overwhelmed my system so completely, why my brain kept returning to it, why I couldn't simply file it away and continue.
If you are reading this page, you may recognise something of that. A birth that is still with you. Questions that were never answered. A body that hasn't fully arrived in the present yet.
I built this service from that place. Not from theory, though the training matters, and it's thorough, but from knowing what it is to need a space like this and not be able to find one.
Birth Debriefing for English and portuguese Speakers worldwide.
90 minutes · €135 · Payment plans available
Frequently Asked Questions
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It is important to ask: "Should I have a birth debrief to help process my birth?" Most find it helpful to better understand, reflect and find closure; however, this is not a medical intervention. It is, as described by third-party resources, a supportive and reflective process to find closure after a difficult childbirth experience. After a traumatic birth, a debrief may help, but it must be done with the right person. It is important to take into consideration that although a debrief can help to understand what happened, this process is often really hard for those who feel their birth was a traumatic event, and that can bring up to the surface feelings of guilt, anger, shutdown or even re-traumatisation.
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While some hospitals offer a "Birth Afterthoughts" service, guided by the hospital's midwifery team or other care provider, many parents prefer an unbiased approach, with a privately sourced trauma-aware perinatal therapist, to ensure that when they share their birth stories, they aren't "gaslit" by the system that may have caused the anguish in the first place.
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Consultations usually last around 90 minutes. This allows ample time for you and your partner, if you choose, to process at a pace that doesn't feel rushed and ask all the questions you may have. For neurodivergent parents, we prioritise processing time so you can make sense of your story and can adapt the structure of our time together to meet your needs.
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Item descIt is common to feel overwhelmed when revisiting intense life events. This is why my consultations are designed as low-demand, high-safety spaces. We move at your speed, and you are always encouraged to take breaks. My approach is "bottom-up," meaning we prioritise your nervous system's safety above the need to "finish" the story.
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While I am a trained Counsellor, this one-off session is a supportive, trauma-informed coaching process. It is not a substitute for psychiatric treatment. I do not provide a diagnosis, but if we identify a need for clinical intervention, I will provide appropriate referral pathways
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My approach to perinatal care is built on four pillars: Person-Centred, Neuro-Inclusive Care, Coaching, & Cultural Sensitivity. As a qualified Counsellor (Academie voor Coaching en Counselling), I combine clinical insight with my specialised BIA Doula Training (Amsterdam, 2018).
My practice is deeply inclusive and was born out of my own lived experience. Having navigated maternity care and early parenting in the UK, the Netherlands, and now Spain, I understand the systemic challenges many parents face when their emotional and sensory needs are overlooked by standard healthcare providers.
I have spent years refining a toolkit to help neurodivergent mothers and survivors navigate the parenting journey, with a focus on perinatal mental health. My training in 3 Steps Rewind for birth trauma resolution and Supporting Neurodiverse Birth (UK, 2024) allows me to help you understand and process your birth story in a safe and inclusive space.
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Price: €135 | Duration: 90 Minutes
A debrief is more than a retelling of events; it is a dedicated process of reclamation and integration. This investment reflects the specialised, trauma-aware care required to safely navigate these narratives.
Cancellation policy: As a specialised professional, I dedicate significant time to reviewing your intake and any notes you might have shared and preparing for our session in advance. While I fully understand that life with a baby can change at a moment’s notice, I would also like to request a 24h notice for cancellation.
What your investment includes:
Pre-Session Intent Review: I personally review your intake forms and any birth notes you choose to share to ensure our time together is focused and supportive.
90-Minute Dedicated Session: A deep-dive exploration using a neuro-affirming and trauma-aware lens, allowing space for pauses, grounding, and emotional safety.
Specialised Expertise: Access to a practitioner trained in 3 Steps Rewind, Counselling, and Physiological Birth (Doula).
Integration Guide: Within 48 hours of our session, you will receive a personalised summary including grounding tools and resources tailored to your specific processing needs.
Support Bridge: One week of follow-up support via my portal to answer questions as your story continues to settle.
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While one consultation often provides the clarity needed to close specific "loops," many mothers, particularly those navigating neurodivergence or complex matrescence, benefit from ongoing reassurance and guidance to address the sadness and grief that often follow this process. Follow-up appointments are available to deepen your healing and ensure your long-term well-being is supported.
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These sessions are a powerful first step in addressing birth-related, emotionally charged feelings. Parents who feel the emotional anguish is too overwhelming can avoid retraumatisation by reassessing whether it would be more appropriate to shift to the 3 Steps Rewind method, a gentle, somatic-based alternative to EMDR with a non-retraumatising approach. This allows us to reduce the heavy emotional "charge" of a memory without requiring you to relive every distressing detail.
By identifying specific triggers and physiological responses, we collaborate to move from a state of "survival mode" toward healing. This integrated approach restores trust in your body and helps you feel more grounded in your daily life. While this service guides reflection and coping, I do not provide a diagnosis and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder; for this, you should contact a psychiatrist.
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There is no "expiry date" on healing. Whether your birth was 6 weeks ago or six years ago, or you are now thinking of having another child and feel ready to understand and come to terms with your previous birth. Many women who may feel their birth was traumatic find that a debrief offers reassurance and understanding, and can shift the way they feel about it. It is never too late to find healing.
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I offer the option of a home visit, here in Malaga, as many parents struggle to access assistance in the post-partum period and therefore delay processing the emotional experience of what happened with a trained mental health professional. Alternatively, we can arrange this one-off consultation online.
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You don’t need to have everything figured out. You can request your maternity notes (in Spain, this is your 'Informe de Parto') from your GP or Midwife. In the Netherlands, you can request your notes from your midwife (verloskundige in Dutch). If you were followed in pregnancy and delivery by a First-line Midwife (Eerstelijns) or by a Second-line Midwife (Tweedelijns). These notes can be beneficial for factual clarity from the midwife or health visitor perspective, but your "lived experience" following the birth is the most important document we have.
Whether you navigated maternity care in NL, the NHS or in Spain, I understand the specific systemic nuances you’ve been through.
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Your story is sacred, and your privacy is my priority. In accordance with GDPR and ethical counselling standards, all information shared during our session—including your birth notes and personal history—is kept strictly confidential and stored on a secure, encrypted platform.
I do not share your data with third parties without your explicit written consent, except in rare cases where there is a legal obligation or a risk of harm to yourself or others. As a graduate of the ACC I share and abide by the same Code of Conduct and Privacy Policy.
