Dr Zara Zia
Dr. Zara Zia
Dr. Zara Zia
Consultant PsychiatristMBBS, BSc, MPM, FRANZCPDr Zia consults on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Professional Background / Experience
- Medical Degree gained from Monash University
- Completed internship and training rotations through Eastern Health, Monash Health and St John of God Health Care. This included specialised perinatal and infant experience across a range of clinical settings, both in the community and within a Mother Baby Unit.
- Master of Psychiatry completed through the University of Melbourne
- Clinical Lead Psychiatrist at Raphael Services, a specialist perinatal and infant mental health clinic within St John of God Health Care. Years of experience working as a perinatal psychiatrist within the service
- Presented research at the following professional conferences:
Presentation: Body dissatisfaction and degree of self-compassion amongst postpartum women: A cross-sectional cohort study, co-presented
Australasian Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health Conference, Brisbane (2017)
Presentation: ‘Literature Review of Parent-Infant Group Therapies’, co-authored
Presentation: ‘Monash Health: Complex Case Presentation’, co-presented
- Development and research of a novel caregiver-infant group therapy program incorporating aspects of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), psychodynamic, attachment based therapy, mindfulness and infant-led approaches.
- Further training experiences in perinatal and infant mental health through Circle of Security, Watch, Wait and Wonder, Infant Mental Health Online training at the University of Warwick and Newborn Behavioural Observations at Royal Women’s Hospital
- Undergoing comprehensive training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy
Professional Interests
- Perinatal Psychiatry, from pre-conception through to pregnancy and early adjustment to parenthood
- Support through conception challenges, pregnancy losses and grief
- Birth trauma
- Developing a shared understanding of how one’s own experiences of being parented may impact the transition to parenthood
- Depression and anxiety disorders in the perinatal period
- Psychotropic medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when needed
- Support with developing the parent-infant relationship
- Working together with families to ensure they feel empowered with their mental health and emotional well-being during the perinatal period
- Tailoring treatment plans that are individualised and holistic in nature
Treatments offered include
- Individual psychotherapy (‘talking therapy’) throughout the perinatal period
- Parent-infant therapy to support the development of the parent-infant relationship
- Medication review and treatment during pre-conception, pregnancy, and post-partum period
Personal Interests Outside of Work
Outside of work, Zara enjoys spending time with her young family. She also enjoys trying new cooking recipes, baking, gardening and being outdoors on sunny days.
