PARENTING THERAPY

Has Parenting Become More Challenging?

Do you ever wish your kids came with instructions so that home life ran more smoothly?

Have you encountered issues with your child, such as disrespect, defiance, or academic challenges, you find hard to navigate?

If your child struggles with a mental health or developmental issue, could you benefit from additional support and guidance?

Although your primary goal as a parent is to raise healthy, emotionally stable kids, maybe you’ve hit some roadblocks lately. It may be hard to set boundaries that stick or administer discipline consistently. Perhaps life circumstances—like divorce, addiction, or loss of a loved one—have caused a disruption you’re unsure how to navigate. Or if your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or a mental health disorder, you might not know how to adjust your parenting style.

Differing Parenting Styles Could Cause Additional Problems

If you and your co-parent clash in your parenting approach, it could exacerbate communication problems with your child. One parent may be more lenient or disengaged, making the other parent the “bad cop.”

Alternatively, one parent might be stricter and more prone to losing their cool, which escalates conflicts. Not getting on the same page with them could further break down communication within the family and set a bad example for your child.

Parenting is stressful enough, but if you feel guilty, overwhelmed, or unsupported by your spouse, you may worry that you’re letting your child down at a crucial period of their development. Sadly, you might doubt your instincts and feel like you’re failing.

Fortunately, parenting therapy offers tangible skills to improve communication, both with your child and your co-parent. Working with a parenting coach, you can be confident you’re making the right long-term decisions to foster a healthy, loving relationship with your child.

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Parents Aren’t Given A “How To” Handbook

Parenting is one of the toughest yet most rewarding jobs we’ve never been trained to perform. Our job is to nurture and guide our children’s emotional development and intellect so they can grow into productive members of society. Somehow, we’re expected to accomplish this massive undertaking while simultaneously maintaining an orderly household, a healthy relationship with our spouse and co-parent, and a full-time job. We’ve set a high bar for ourselves that’s never easy to achieve.

Today’s World Has Changed Significantly From When We Were Kids

Many parents make the mistake of trying to raise their kids the same way they were raised. However, today’s society is nothing like it was when we were young. Not only has the advent of social media created a new level of comparison for parents that never existed before, but it has also increased the risk of low self-esteem and bullying for our kids.

Unfortunately, we often overcompensate for our shortcomings. Whether our guilt is related to divorce, working long hours, or some other negative life event, acting from a place of shame instead of making healthier parenting choices rarely provides the results we hope for.

As much as we hope we’re doing everything right, behavioral problems with children are not uncommon. In parent counseling, we can work on setting firm but flexible limits while employing other methods to ensure you’re setting a good example for your children.

Therapy Provides The Tools You Need To Be A Better Parent

If you’re like most parents, you may be embarrassed to admit that you’re struggling. However, the fact you’re seeking counseling shows how much you care and want the best for your family. As a therapist with decades of experience working with families, I specialize in helping parents manage real-life scenarios more effectively using tried and true approaches.

In therapy, you’ll learn how to navigate your children’s emotions—as well as your own—improve communication, set firm but fair boundaries, and respond versus react. As you develop emotional awareness and regulation with your child and yourself, your comfort and confidence will grow.

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What To Expect In Sessions

If either of you struggle with parenting due to a lack of positive role models in childhood, we may decide to add individual counseling sessions as needed. This allows us to work on breaking the cycle of generational trauma so that rather than passing these dysfunctional patterns down to your children, you can use painful experiences from your past as opportunities for growth. In addition to working with children and teens individually, we can incorporate family sessions into parenting therapy.

Because day-to-day consistency has been linked to fostering well-being in children, parenting therapy teaches hands-on practices you can easily dovetail into your daily interactions. [1] For example, we may incorporate behavior charts and effective discipline and reward systems to encourage positive conduct while promoting consistent routines and expectations. Your children are always watching, listening, and learning from you, so being a healthy, positive role model is essential.

Parenting Therapy Will Be Suited To Your Family’s Needs

Taking an eclectic approach based on years of experience, parenting therapy offers evidence-based modalities tailored to the unique traits and characteristics of your family dynamic. In addition to mindfulness practices to reduce stress and effective communication that includes validating emotions and using “I” statements, we may incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior (DBT) coping skills, and family systems theory.

A common mistake parents make is trying to reason with a child who is far too young to understand. That’s why we will include psychoeducation that covers developmental stages to ensure your parenting style is appropriate for their age.

You will also learn more about attachment theory interventions that foster secure and healthy attachment through nurturing interactions and ways to positively reconnecting after a conflict. Additionally, non-violent conflict resolution can help you deal with anger and uncomfortable feelings more effectively.

Parent coaching is the next best thing to having a handbook you can refer to whenever you need it. Whether you’re married or a single parent, counseling and support are available to navigate even the most challenging circumstances. Parenting can be hard but utilizing proven techniques can help you improve communication, regulate your emotions, and become more patient, making the overall experience more rewarding.

But Maybe You’re Not Sure If Parenting Therapy Is Right For You…

Will attending therapy label us as bad parents?

It’s common to worry that acknowledging you may need coaching and guidance could reflect poorly on your parenting abilities. These fears often stem from the pressure we all feel to appear as though parenting always comes naturally and easily.

However, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. As your therapist and coach, I will create a nonjudgmental space where you can be vulnerable about what help you may need and we can explore strengthening parenting and coping skills.

What if things don’t improve with our child after parenting therapy?

Understandably, you may be skeptical that even after therapy, you will still doubt your parenting skills and not experience any meaningful change. Perhaps you’ve tried new approaches before that weren’t successful, so you wonder what will be different this time. However, if you’re willing to be open-minded to the process and commit to being consistent with trying small yet effective course corrections, you will start to see a difference very soon.

I worry our parenting therapist will tell us it’s all our fault.

As much as all parents want to be perfect, there is no such thing. Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world and no one does it perfectly. Taking a solution-focused approach, parent counseling services will help alleviate feelings of guilt or worry. Attending therapy is never about blaming—it’s about understanding what’s happening and working together to create positive changes. As your parenting counselor, I aim to create a supportive and collaborative environment to find effective tools that fit your unique challenges.

Parenting Therapy Can Help Your Family Thrive

With some guidance and commitment to counseling, becoming the parent you always wanted to be is possible. To schedule a free 15-minute consultation to find out more about online parenting therapy with me, please call (954) 802-1601 or visit my contact page.

[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5519304/

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