A positive screen and a frightened mother — perinatal mental health communication station

Station brief

Format. Communication station, approximately 12 minutes, single candidate. The assessor plays the woman for the first nine minutes and the partner for the last three. The focus is on rapport, respect and communication alongside a clinically safe plan. The assessor feeds emotional cues and resistance.^[1]

Candidate instruction. Introduce yourself, share the screening result in a way that does not stigmatise her, complete a same-consultation risk assessment including item 10, agree a treatment plan that supports breastfeeding, and then communicate the plan to her partner with her consent. Verbalise your reasoning where it helps the patient.^[1]