Becoming a mother can bring immense joy, but it can also trigger unexpected fears that feel confusing and frightening. If you are experiencing distressing intrusive thoughts, overwhelming anxiety, or a constant need to check and seek reassurance after the birth of your baby, you are not alone. Counsellor & Parenting Coach, Paula Brunning, explains how understanding postpartum OCD is the first step towards recovery, helping you recognise that these thoughts do not define you and that effective, evidence-based treatment is available.

Unhealthy thinking patterns often operate beneath the surface of mental health struggles, quietly shaping our emotions, decisions, and relationships. In psychology, these habitual errors are known as cognitive distortions—biased mental shortcuts that twist how we interpret ourselves, others, and life events. While everyone experiences them occasionally, when distortions become automatic and repetitive, they can fuel depression, intensify stress, and drain hope. The good news? These patterns are learned, meaning they can also be unlearned. With the right tools, especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), distorted thoughts can be challenged, reframed, and replaced with healthier perspectives that lighten emotional burdens and restore a sense of control. Learn how with Counsellor, Paula Brunning, of The Counselling Place Singapore.

Learn about the different psychotherapeutic approaches and find out which is best suited for your issue.

CBT offers practical tools and strategies to help individuals overcome challenges and break free from negative thought patterns. It is effective in treating a wide range of psychological disorders and other issues.