"There’s no handbook for this”: An exploration into mothers’ experiences of the Incredible Years Parents and Babies Programme.
Author: Kathryn Morgan - Doctorate in Educational Psychology (DEdPsy), Cardiff University, 2019
An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was taken to explore the lived experiences of mothers who attended the Incredible Years Parents and Babies Programme (IYPB) and their perceptions of parenting following IYPB.
Current evaluative research has received mixed results regarding the impact of IYPB, yet mothers' personal accounts of their experiences have been unaccounted for.
With calls for more research in this area alongside the promotion of working in a more person-centred way in Wales, exploring mothers' experiences, and how they understand these experiences, appears pertinent for the work of Educational Psychologists (EPs).
The findings from semi-structured interviews with 7 mothers highlighted that the mothers were on their own individual journeys of development as parents. Yet, common themes were also portrayed, both during and following IYPB.
The findings are discussed in relation to wider psychological theories and the implications for future EP practice and research are considered.