Dr Hannah Dobson
she/her
Dr Hannah Dobson
Founder & Clinical Director
Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatrist
MBBS (Hons), BMedSci (Hons), MPsychiatry, FRANZCP, Cert. Consul. Liaison Psychiatry
How Hannah works
Hannah works with women during periods of transition: when something feels different, heavier, or harder to carry than before, even if it’s difficult to put into words.
Her approach is grounded in the belief that you don’t need to be at breaking point to deserve care. Hannah listens closely to both what is said and what sits underneath, and she does not rush to explanations, labels, or solutions. Appointments are reflective and carefully paced, creating space to make sense of experiences that may have been minimised, questioned, or carried alone.
What she focuses on
Hannah works with women navigating anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, birth-related distress, loss, and the emotional impact of becoming a parent.
She has sensitivity to experiences that look “fine” from the outside but feel deeply unsettling, including birth trauma, grief that doesn’t have a clear place, ambivalence, identity shifts, and the pressure to be coping or grateful.
When treatment decisions are needed, including around medication in pregnancy or breastfeeding, these conversations are approached collaboratively and thoughtfully. Time is taken to consider evidence, individual circumstances, and what matters most to the woman and her family, without urgency or pressure to decide before she is ready.
Professional background
Hannah works in private practice and as a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Women’s Mental Health Service at The Royal Women’s Hospital., where she works at the intersection of mental health and medical care.
She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, holds a Certificate of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and completed her specialist training through the Alfred Hospital and The Royal Women’s Hospital. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, and a Bachelor of Medical Science from Monash University, and a Masters of Psychiatry from the University of Melbourne. In addition to her clinical work, Dr Dobson engages in research with Monash University and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. She is involved in research with Monash University and The Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Hannah consults with WARM on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
