Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub is now recruiting
Becoming a mum and raising a child can be a beautiful and rewarding experience. But it can also be stressful and overwhelming. Without the right support, many mums turn to alcohol as a way to manage these feelings. Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub program is a free online program designed to help mums manage stress, build confidence, and develop healthier habits around alcohol, all in a way that fits around life with young children.
Click the link below to register for the study and find out if the program might be suitable for you.
Register now
Developed by psychologists and researchers, in partnership with mothers who have lived experience.
The Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub program was created by psychologists and researchers with over 15 years of experience into the most effective ways to treat anxiety and alcohol use, together with mothers who have actual lived experience. You can hear from one of these mothers in the accompanying video.
The program includes six self-guided online modules and two telehealth appointments with a psychologist, designed to provide practical tips, tools, and support to help mums manage anxiety, reduce their alcohol use, and build healthier coping strategies. The program uses evidence-based therapies recommended in Australian clinical practice guidelines for anxiety, alcohol, and co-occurring conditions.
Meet the team
How the program works
The Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub program is currently available to Australian mums with a child under three years of age through a University of Sydney research study. Taking part is completely free!
There are 5 steps involved to participate:
Register
Register via this website and complete a short survey to check if the study is a good fit for your current life circumstances.
Good fit?
You’ll have a brief call with one of our study psychologists to confirm whether an online program is the best support option for you right now. If it is, you’ll then complete a longer survey to help us better understand your anxiety, alcohol use, and overall mental health.
Randomly grouped
You will be randomly allocated into one of two groups who will either i) receive immediate access to the Healthy Mum, Health Bub anxiety and alcohol program or ii) be placed on a waitlist to receive the program after 4 months.
Project requirements
The Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub group will be asked to complete six digital modules and two telehealth support calls with a psychologist. The wailist group will get a list of alternate support options and later access to the program.
Follow-up surveys
You will get email/SMS prompts to complete a follow up survey after 2 and 4 months to get a better picture of your mental health and drinking, and any changes you’ve experienced. You will be reimbursed with a voucher per survey.
Register
Register via this website and complete a short survey to check if the study is a good fit for your current life circumstances.
Good fit?
You’ll have a brief call with one of our study psychologists to confirm whether an online program is the best support option for you right now. If it is, you’ll then complete a longer survey to help us better understand your anxiety, alcohol use, and overall mental health.
Randomly grouped
You will be randomly allocated into one of two groups who will either i) receive immediate access to the Healthy Mum, Health Bub anxiety and alcohol program or ii) be placed on a waitlist to receive the program after 4 months.
Project requirements
The Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub group will be asked to complete six digital modules and two telehealth support calls with a psychologist. The wailist group will get a list of alternate support options and later access to the program.
Follow-up surveys
You will get email/SMS prompts to complete a follow up survey after 2 and 4 months to get a better picture of your mental health and drinking, and any changes you’ve experienced. You will be reimbursed with a voucher per survey.
An overview of the program
The Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub program contains six weekly modules based on two proven approaches for managing anxiety and alcohol use: Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. They provide practical skills and strategies that can help you manage anxiety, cope with stress and urges to drink, and make positive changes that support your wellbeing.
Each session builds on the last, making it easy to follow along and build your skills week by week.
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MODULE 1Understanding anxiety, alcohol, & setting goals -
MODULE 2Challenging unhelpful thoughts -
MODULE 3Drinking thinking & proactive problem solving -
MODULE 4Facing fears through small behavioural experiments -
MODULE 5Developing supportive friendships & looking toward the future -
MODULE 6Implementing self care & staying on track
Is this program right for me?
The study is suitable for Australian mothers aged 18 years or older who have a child under 3 years of age, experience anxiety, and have concerns about their alcohol use.
While the Healthy Mum, Healthy Bub program and our study is delivered online, we are not a crisis service. If you’re feeling suicidal or unsafe, please reach out now to one of the services listed on the Urgent Help page.
The program is designed to fit around family life and is suitable for mums who are ready to commit around 1 hour per week for six weeks to develop skills to better manage their anxiety and drinking.
