The textbook is nearly published…!
I’m really proud to share this collection of chapters, written in collaboration with an incredible group of occupational therapists, academics, thought leaders, practice champions, educators, researchers, and advocates. Each chapter offers a unique perspective on how we can better understand support women’s health and wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions. It’s been a privilege to bring this work together, and I hope it sparks meaningful and critical reflection, strengthened connections, and progress towards innovative change.
The book is still being finalised for publication, so I’ll add doi’s and more information as things are confirmed. I just wanted to share this early snapshot as a glimpse into what we’re offering in this text. If you’re keen to buy a copy, please head over to Taylor & Francis to order now with free international postage.
SECTION 1 | Theoretical foundations for understanding the occupational nature of women’s health and matrescence
Hyett, N., McIntosh, K., & Slootjes, H. (2025). Redefining women’s health in the 21st century: Embracing holistic perspectives and acknowledging gendered realities. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 3-18). Routledge.
Hyett, N., Slootjes, H., & McIntosh, K. (2025). Occupational therapy in women’s health: Gender-responsive practice approaches for girls and women throughout the lifespan. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 19-39). Routledge.
Slootjes, H., & Borkovic, S. (2025). Exploring feminist perspectives in women’s health, motherhood, and occupational therapy. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 40-58). Routledge.
Slootjes, H., Andrews, H., Jones, J., & Fox, J. (2025). Allied health and holistic care approaches to women’s health and wellbeing: A collaborative team perspective. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 59-77). Routledge.
Borkovic, S., & Slootjes, H. (2025). Enhancing women’s health through occupational therapy leadership. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 78–98). Routledge.
Slootjes, H., Tavender, S., & McIntyre, K. (2025). Breaking the silence on women’s invisible wellbeing challenges: Contemporary practice and research priorities. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 99–118). Routledge.
SECTION 2 | The occupational nature of matrescence
Slootjes, H., & DeRolf, A. (2025). The occupational nature of matrescence. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 121–142). Routledge.
Slootjes, H., DeRolf, A., & Watson, M. (2025). Matrescence as a spiritual occupation and transformative life event: Rites of passage, rituals, and transitions. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 143–161). Routledge.
Slootjes, H. (2025). Exploring the intersection of feminism, matrescence, and occupational therapy practice. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 162–181). Routledge.
Slootjes, H. (2025). The perinatal transitions of matrescence: An occupational therapy perspective. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 182–208). Routledge.
Graham, M. (2025). The occupational nature of women’s mental health and illness during perinatal transitions and matrescence. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 209–225). Routledge.
Slootjes, H., & Walker, B. A. (2025). Power, agency, and fundamental human needs: Health, wellbeing, and quality of life during motherhood. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 226–246). Routledge.
SECTION 3 | Occupational therapy skills and practice for perinatal transitions, motherhood, and matrescence
Slootjes, H. (2025). Foundations to facilitate knowledge translation for evidence-based best practice. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 249–274). Routledge.
Cohen Podvey, M., Bachelani, S., Hatfield, M., McLean, B., Swanton, H., Little, M., La Pointe, M., O’Connor, E., Peterson, J., Schwee, G., Bergmann, S., Miller, M., & Hemminger, R. K. (2025). Navigating ‘normal’ motherhood struggles: Movement, compassion, and occupational balance. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 275–295). Routledge.
Twinley, R., Walker, B. A., Wainberg, E., Austrian, L., Clavet, A., Borkovic, S., La Pointe, M., Daley Reaume, C., & Wray, S. (2025). Illuminating the dark side of matrescence: A practical guide for responsive occupational therapy practice. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 296–314). Routledge.
McGregor, F., Gullan, J., Slootjes, H., & McIntyre, K. (2025). Addressing the occupational nature of menstruation: A human occupation approach. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 315–335). Routledge.
Maris-Shaw, S., Matthews, M., Walker, B. A., Schwee, G., Peterson, J., Ashton, S., Atherton, C., & Osman, S. (2025). Strengthening women’s psychosocial health, wellbeing, and quality of life during perinatal transitions and motherhood. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 336–355). Routledge.
Coxon, M., Mack, A., Barnekow, K., Sepulveda, A., Maris-Shaw, S., Clavet, A., Peterson, J., Amery, N., Little, M., Bober, V., Dias, G., Bergmann, S., Miller, M., & Hemminger, R. K. (2025). Co-occupation-based interventions during perinatal transitions and motherhood. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 356–378). Routledge.
Hess, P., Kiesel, C. L., Daley Reaume, C., Gullan, J., Desrosiers, L., & Vestal, L. (2025). Occupation-based approaches to pelvic health and wellbeing. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 379–399). Routledge.
Van Antwerp, L., Matthews, M., Jhummun, D., Smolanaers, M., & Hucks, L. (2025). Empowering mothers during recovery: Occupational-based strategies for women working through perinatal mental disorders. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 400–419). Routledge.
Twinley, R., Hitch, D., Wainberg, E., McFedries, R., & Slootjes, H. (2025). A neurodiversity-affirming approach to matrescence: Empowerment through person-centred and strengths-based occupational therapy practices. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 420–442). Routledge.
Rix, C., & Slootjes, H. (2025). Empowered girls and women with low vision and blindness across the lifespan: Navigating gendered occupations during perinatal transitions of matrescence. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 443–462). Routledge.
Gaughan, W., Slootjes, H., Rozin, L., O’Connor, E., Hanish, K., Miller, N., Andrews, T., Borkovic, S., & Maris-Shaw, S. (2025). Empowering connections: Storytelling, lifespan approaches, and therapeutic mother’s groups for enhanced wellbeing. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 463–483). Routledge.
Hausler, S., Slootjes, H., & Paynter, B. (2025). Navigating menopause transitions: Holistic occupational therapy approaches for enhancing women’s wellbeing. In H. Slootjes (Ed.), Enhancing women’s wellbeing during matrescence, motherhood, and perinatal transitions (pp. 484–503). Routledge.
PhD thesis is freely available with open access!
Slootjes, H. (2022). The Role of Occupational Therapists in Perinatal Health [Doctoral thesis, La Trobe University]. Open Access at La Trobe (OPAL). https://doi.org/10.26181/19836172.v1. Click here to access via OPAL.
I regularly receive emails asking for me to share my PhD findings with passionate OTs and OT students learning about perinatal OT roles and scope of practice. I absolutely love each inquiry, and am constantly feeling the pressure to get this research published and publicly available as soon as humanly possible. Publishing research papers remains a big goal for me, especially after the PhD. There’s so many hoops and hurdles to get through before my work can reach a stage where it can be considered for publication – let alone be accepted by a journal! I’m onto it, but it’s just going to take time.
In the meantime, I thought I’d share links to my publications and abstracts that have been listed from conferences during this PhD. Some other researchers and key resources I use which might help other OTs to research and practice in women’s perinatal health are also listed.
I’ll update this list with my publications as soon as they’re available. Please keep the inquiries coming though! Gauging interest in this practice field is one of my primary motivators! It keeps me energised and excited, and I’m so grateful to be in a position where I can complete this research and share it. If you’re interested in my thoughts and opinions on what I’m discovering during this PhD journey, please check out my blog page. I usually include key journal articles, books or webpages that I find poignant there within each blog theme.
My other publications:
Slootjes, H., McKinstry, C., & Kenny, A. (2015). Maternal role transition: Why new mothers need occupational therapists. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, doi:10.1111/1440-1630.12225. http://t.co/wtljq9FKML – Click here to request full text article
Slootjes, H. (2022). The Role of Occupational Therapists in Perinatal Health [Doctoral thesis, La Trobe University]. Open Access at La Trobe (OPAL). https://doi.org/10.26181/19836172.v1. Click here to access via OPAL.
Other relevant theses:
One of the things I think about with this PhD is that, for the most part, my thesis is facing a future gathering astrodust on an e-shelf in the Cloud. We don’t seem to value theses too much when we select resources to inform evidence-based-practice or write articles, which I think is such a shame. Therefore, I’ve listed a collection of other researcher’s theses and research-based grey literature (not articles) I find along the way which are directly related to perinatal occupational therapy practice.
Quick update (June 2026) – This area of scholarship has blown up since 2022!! Woo woo!! So exciting for us, and there’s now loads of theses and capstone projects published and freely available. I won’t update this list any longer because there are just so many publications now (what a wonderful reason to stop). I’m so proud of our what our profession is doing in this space, and celebrate each and every one of you who are contributing to academic scholarship and evidence-based, best practices in the field. Thank you!!! What a community!
Branjerdporn, G. (2021). Maternal-foetal attachment and its relationship with maternal and infant factors. PhD Thesis, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia, available here
Berglund, K., & Peterman, B. (2021). Occupational therapy for pregnant women: An ergonomics program for first-time mothers (Publication Number 464) [Occupational Therapy Capstones, University of North Dakota]. UND Scholarly Commons. Available here
Grabarkewitz, A., & Swanson, L. (2020). Occupational Gearing For Child Rearing: Occupational Therapy’s Role in Helping New Mothers Succeed After Giving Birth (Scholarly Project: Occupational Therapy Capstones, Occupational Therapy, University of North Dakota). Available here
Heine, A. (2020). The role of occupational therapy in the physical and psychological rehabilitation of perinatal mothers [Oral presentation/poster]. University of South Dakota. Available here
Vidmar, B. N. (2020). Supporting The Role And Transition To Motherhood Through The Occupation Of Feeding. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (Doctor of Occupational Therapy Degree capstone project), USA, Available here
Briltz, V. (2019) Occupational Therapy’s Role in Maternal Mental Health within Transition from NICU to Home. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (Student Capstone Project), USA, Available here.
Watkins, C. (2019). Women’s Postpartum Experiences. (Master of Occupational Therapy thesis). Faculty of the Graduate School, Eastern Kentucky University, USA, Available here.
Frenchman, K. (2018). An occupational perspective on New Zealand working mother’s stress, anxiety and depression: An interpretive description study. (Masters of Health Science (MHSc) Masters Thesis). Auckland University of Technology, NZ, Available here
Teufen, N. (2016). Lived experiences of co-occupation in everyday life among couples being parents for the first time: A phenomenological study. (FH OT, European Master of Science in Occupational Therapy) Zürich, Switzerland. Not available online. Contact author to request a copy.
Burbidge, K. (2015). What is the role of the occupational therapist in acute perinatal mental health settings in the UK? (BSc (Hons) Occupational therapy), University of the West of England, Available from here.
Doidge, K. (2012). Co-occupation categories tested in the mothering context. (Master of Occupational Therapy), Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand. Available from here.
Lesley, J. B. (2012). Adaptation to the motherhood role: Experiences and perceptions of first-time mothers a pilot study. (1516606 M.S.), University of Central Arkansas, Ann Arbor. Available from here.
George, M. (2011). Proposed role for occupational therapy to serve new mothers. [October 2013]. OT Critically Appraised Topics, Emerging Practice CATs, Paper 10. Available from here.
Michelitch, T. (2009). Occupational Imbalance in Activity-Restricted Pregnancy. (Masters of Science Thesis, Occupational Therapy). Ithaca College. Available from here.
Conrad, K. J. (2006). Nurture your infant and yourself: A breastfeeding program (Publication Number 45) [Occupational Therapy Capstones, University of North Dakota]. UND Scholarly Commons. Available here.
Research & evidence-based practice for OTs in perinatal health, motherhood, and matrescence 