Our Team
Stephanie Banning
Co-Founder and Clinical Psychologist
Stephanie Banning is a Clinical Psychologist and co-founder of Think Parents, Bumps + Bubs. She works with parents across the perinatal period, from fertility and conception through pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
Steph supports people experiencing perinatal anxiety, depression and OCD, birth and postpartum trauma, and the broader emotional challenges that can come with becoming a parent. She also has a strong interest in attachment and infant mental health, helping parents better understand their baby’s cues, feel more confident in how they respond, and build a secure relationship with their baby.
Alongside her clinical psychology training, Steph has completed additional training through the Centre for Perinatal Psychology, in EMDR for trauma, Circle of Security and holistic infant sleep coaching. This combination allows her to consider not only a parent’s mental health, but also the way sleep, attachment, a baby’s temperament and the parent-baby relationship can all interact during the early months and years.
Steph knows from both her professional work and her own experience as a mum of three that the perinatal period can be hard for many different reasons. You don’t need to have a diagnosis or be at breaking point to benefit from support. Sometimes it’s anxiety or low mood; sometimes it’s a difficult birth, a baby who is hard to read or settle, or simply feeling much less confident in parenthood than you expected.
Her approach is warm, practical and evidence-based, with a focus on helping parents understand what is happening, feel more confident in themselves, and find strategies that make sense for their baby and their family.
*Steph is an independent practitioner conducting her practice from Think Parents, Bumps and Bubs.
Dr. Sarah Hughes
Co-Founder and Clinical Psychologist
Dr Sarah Hughes is a Clinical Psychologist, co-founder of Think Parents, Bumps + Bubs, and founder of Think Clinical Psychologists. She has worked in private practice for almost 20 years and supports parents through pregnancy, birth, the postnatal period and the adjustment to early parenthood.
Sarah has a particular interest in infant sleep and the relationship between sleep, infant development and parent mental health. She works with parents experiencing difficult pregnancies, traumatic births or challenging newborn periods, as well as parents struggling with postnatal anxiety, depression, overwhelm or the adjustment to becoming a parent. Her approach is evidence-based and practical, with a focus on finding strategies that support both a baby’s development and attachment, and the wellbeing of their parents.
Sarah’s interest in perinatal mental health and infant sleep is also personal. Her own experiences included hyperemesis gravidarum, a traumatic birth, and the challenges of having a premature baby who spent an extended period in Special Care after birth. She also experienced postnatal PTSD, giving her first-hand insight into how quickly pregnancy, birth and the early months of parenthood can become very different from the experience you imagined. She has since spoken about her experience through the Gidget Foundation and Hyperemesis Australia.
Alongside her clinical training - a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and PhD from The University of Sydney - Sarah has completed additional training in infant sleep, including holistic sleep coaching and Sleep Baby & You, developed through the Durham Infant Sleep Centre and the NDC Institute.
This additional training allows Sarah to help parents make sense of the often-conflicting advice around baby sleep, understand what is developmentally normal, and consider both responsive and behavioural approaches. Rather than assuming there’s one “right” way for babies to sleep, she works with families to find an approach that takes into account their baby’s temperament and sleep needs, their own parenting preferences, and what feels realistic and manageable for their family.
*Sarah is an independent practitioner conducting her practice from Think Parents, Bumps and Bubs.
Morgan Parsons
Clinical Psychologist
Morgan Parsons is a Clinical Psychologist at Think Parents, Bumps + Bubs and a mum of one. She supports parents across the perinatal period, from fertility and pregnancy through to the early months and years of parenthood.
Morgan works with parents experiencing perinatal anxiety and depression, birth trauma, attachment concerns, relationship changes and the broader adjustment that comes with becoming a parent. She also enjoys supporting parents as they get to know their baby, understand their cues and build confidence in their new role.
Her interest in this area is also informed by her own experiences during pregnancy and the postnatal period, which have given her a personal understanding of how unexpected challenges can shape the transition to parenthood.
Morgan is committed to evidence-based psychological care and is completing additional training through the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) and the NDC Institute to further develop her knowledge and skills in supporting parents and families during the perinatal period.
Her approach is warm, practical and supportive, with a focus on helping parents make sense of what they’re experiencing, feel more confident in themselves, and navigate the changes that come with this stage of life.
*Morgan is an independent practitioner conducting her practice from Think Parents, Bumps and Bubs.