Several thousand women in Norway experience traumatic births each year, yet many do not receive adequate healthcare support afterward. Birth trauma can significantly affect a woman’s mental health, as well as her bonding with the newborn, relationship with her partner, breastfeeding, and decision to have more children.

As part of the research project ”DigiBirth: Digital psychological treatment after traumatic birth”, this master’s thesis explores how a unguided digital treatment program can be designed to support women in processing birth trauma, while preserving the sense of safety and emotional support typically offered in face-to-face therapy. Developed by clinical psychologist Ingvill Øvsthus, the program is based on cognitive behavioral therapy, with exposure therapy as its core element. Although exposure therapy is considered the gold standard in trauma treatment, it has not previously been available in digital form for women with birth trauma in Norway.

Literature and in-depth interviews laid the foundation for ”Bearbeiding av fødselsopplevelsen”, a part of the program which focuses on exposure-based exercises. Through a human-centred design approach, featuring iterative user testing and focus groups with clinicians and experts, a prototype was developed where text, structure, visual elements, and illustrations are tailored to support trauma processing in a way that meets the women’s needs for safety and emotional support.