Clare Rose Foster
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Author: Clare Foster

Postnatal depression and anxiety after 10 months – a bit of honesty on World Mental Health Day

Posted on October 10, 2018October 11, 2018 by Clare Foster

A few weeks ago I saved an article about Instagram from the Guardian’s website – Instagram is supposed to be friendly. So why is it making people so miserable? It struck a chord because I was feeling uncomfortably aware of the disconnect between how my life looked on my Instagram account and how it really felt….

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Understanding mental health problems – booklet launch

Posted on June 9, 2018June 9, 2018 by Clare Foster

Last week Oaklan and I went on an adventure to London for the launch of the latest version of Mind’s flagship booklet ‘Understanding mental health problems’. I wrote this when I was pregnant and it was great to see it finally published. It’s the first title to be published in the new full colour format –…

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Thoughts on mental health and parenting a newborn

Posted on December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 by Clare Foster

Oaklan came on the 5th October. He’s almost eleven weeks now and things are slowly starting to feel a little easier. I’m still pretty tired – and I’m writing this with him feeding on my lap – so please excuse any typos, half-formed ideas or clumsy phrasing. I wanted to get down some thoughts about…

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BMA Patient Information Awards for Mind and Miscarriage Association work

Posted on September 19, 2017September 19, 2017 by Clare Foster

I’m really chuffed to be able to share that both Mind and the Miscarriage Association received awards at the British Medical Association Patient Information Awards 2017 for information and that I researched and wrote. The awards aim to ‘encourage excellence in the production and dissemination of accessible, well-designed and clinically balanced patient information’. They look for…

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Published in The Recovery Letters

Posted on July 14, 2017September 12, 2017 by Clare Foster

Last year, James Withney of The Recovery Letters emailed to see if I would be interested in contributing a letter to the published anthology. The Recovery Letters are addressed to people experiencing depression. They share experiences and give friendship and hope for recovery. I’ve always believed in letters and writing as a way through difficult…

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Understanding eating problems – updated Mind resource

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017 by Clare Foster

I don’t usually blog about individual Mind booklets and online resources I write or update (you can see the list here). But my most recently completed product is pretty close to my heart. It’s called Understanding eating problems. Changes and updates I’ve tried to emphasise that you can find eating problems incredibly difficult to live…

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Miscarriage Association learning resources ‘Highly Commended’ in EVCOM Awards

Posted on June 29, 2017June 29, 2017 by Clare Foster

Highly commended I’m really pleased that the films I helped research and develop as part of the Miscarriage Association’s new learning resources for health professionals have just received a ‘Highly Commended’ in the Drama category of the EVCOM awards. These resources have been well received by health professionals too – they were given a 5* review in The…

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Mental health in early pregnancy – the first trimester

Posted on April 16, 2017April 17, 2017 by Clare Foster

Disrupting the balance I’m pretty good at managing my mental health. I know what helps, what doesn’t and how to recognise when I need to take better care of myself or ask for extra support. But early pregnancy disrupted this balance. I’m nearly 17 weeks now and finally ready to write about the first trimester….

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Antidepressants (Sertraline) and pregnancy

Posted on April 16, 2017November 21, 2018 by Clare Foster

Pregnant and taking Sertraline I’m 17 weeks pregnant and still taking the SSRI antidepressant Sertraline. I thought I was pretty firm in that decision. An attempt to stop taking it last year ended badly.  But we had to try, if only to help us work out where we sat in the endless risk/benefit balancing act. But…

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Eating problems and early pregnancy

Posted on April 16, 2017April 20, 2017 by Clare Foster

Recovering from eating problems Over the last year, I’ve been facing up to eating problems that have dogged me my entire life. This became particularly important as we tried (and for a long time failed) to conceive. It was really hard going but I got my cycle back and my hormones balanced – by the…

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Depression and anxiety in the first trimester

Posted on April 16, 2017April 16, 2017 by Clare Foster

A toxic mix I had some very low periods and dark thoughts during the first trimester of pregnancy. The myth of pregnancy as a calm, exciting and enjoyable time is still pervasive – but there were times when I felt unable to take pleasure in anything, distant from Al and scared I wouldn’t be able…

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Community development and management support for Contact a Family

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Clare Foster

  Contact a Family got in touch late last year. They were looking for help setting up their new community, developing guidelines, establishing processes and training new moderators. Over the last few months I have been working closely with them and we’re almost ready for launch. Scoping I spent some time on scoping work –…

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Thinking of recruiting volunteer moderators for your online support community?

Posted on February 26, 2017February 26, 2017 by Clare Foster

More and more charities are setting up online support communities – a space online for people who use their services to come together and share information, offer support and help each other to feel less alone. It’s almost expected now – if you don’t have a space like this, you may find people use your…

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5 star review for Miscarriage Association training materials in RCOG’s journal (TOG)

Posted on February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 by Clare Foster

  Learning materials for health professionals I was really chuffed to hear that the Miscarriage Association learning materials for health professionals were given a 5* review in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ journal The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG). I did a lot of work on these resources and it’s brilliant to get such positive…

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  1. Sheila Ismay on What I’d tell my 2015 self about dieting, body positivity and accepting medicationOctober 4, 2019

    My marriage has just broken up because my husband came off citalopram cold turkey without my knowledge. I had to…

  2. ‘Supporting someone you know’ – new Miscarriage Association resource online now | Clare Rose Foster on New youth resources for the Miscarriage AssociationSeptember 24, 2019

    […] from a number of projects I have worked on for the Miscarriage Association including our award-winning youth resources project,…

  3. ‘Supporting someone you know’ – new Miscarriage Association resource online now | Clare Rose Foster on Pregnancy loss and mental health – new resources online nowSeptember 24, 2019

    […] identified the need to update this resource as part of the pregnancy loss and mental health project – but…

  4. Workplace mental health hub highly commended at the BMA Patient Information Awards. | Clare Rose Foster on BMA Patient Information Awards for Mind and Miscarriage Association workSeptember 11, 2019

    […] time my work was nominated (and came runner up in two special categories), I was 37 weeks pregnant and…

  5. Workplace mental health hub highly commended at the BMA Patient Information Awards. | Clare Rose Foster on Writing to the Information Standard for Mind and the British Lung FoundationSeptember 11, 2019

    […] the articles were written to the Information Standard – an NHS kitemark that requires them to be based on…

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Wow! This is a wonderful example how good consultation and understanding your audience can lead to great quality information! The consultation, planning, and promotional plans show excellence in producing health information. This shows through in the end products – high quality and extremely well-tailored to the audience. The insight and thought that has gone into this is commendable. 

Dr Hannah R Bridges – HB Health Comms Ltd

Clare created fantastic bespoke moderator training and helped us develop our brand-new survivors’ community. She went out of her way to ensure that the training met our needs exactly by engaging in various in-depth discussions and learning about our sector. But beyond that, she also helped us to build our vision for the community and the community guidelines; created an editable handbook for our future use and changing needs as the community grows; and offered ongoing support with tweaking the training as the forum develops.

Venice Fielding - Cardiff Women's Aid

Clare highlights the wide range of feelings and reactions during and after pregnancy loss, the different impact that each experience can have on each individual and the diverse needs of those affected. Just as important, she acknowledges the difficulty of those who want to offer help, but aren’t sure how to, or when. She makes it easier for them to understand and empathise, and offers practical suggestions with knowledge and also with humility… This is what makes for such a special book, for which many many people will be grateful.

Ruth Bender Atik, National Director, The Miscarriage Association
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