Parenting is a job no one can truly prepare you for.
Being the best parent you can be is all about getting to know yourself, understanding your child, and trying your best to help them evolve into a well-adjusted adult.
What is Parenting Support Therapy?
There’s never been a shortage of strong opinions on how to be a “good” parent, but the dialogue today seems more polarized than ever before. There’s so much noise in the parenting space, it’s practically inescapable. Despite the wealth of information at our fingertips, navigating parenthood has never been more confusing in many ways.
Not all easily accessible parenting advice is sound, and chances are if you’re visiting this page you’ve yet to find something that truly works for you. It’s also important to note that every single parent-child relationship is unique, so the idea of a single ideal parenting approach is unrealistic to begin with.
Being the best parent you can be is all about getting to know yourself, understanding your child, and trying your best to help them evolve into a well-adjusted adult. No one gets it perfect, but parenting support therapy is one the best tools to support this process.
Being a parent is hard at the best of times, and unexpected hurdles can overburden us past our breaking point. Sicknesses, family or relationship issues, job stress, financial struggles, behavioural issues in children, traumatic life experiences, and more can easily leave you grasping for a lifeline. We’re here to offer support to help you thrive as the best parent you can be, no matter what your situation looks like right now.
When Should I Consult a Parenting Support Therapist?
Although times of crisis are when parental support is often needed most urgently, taking action before issues escalate is a great idea when possible. There’s no right time or wrong time to seek support, and your struggles don’t need to be “bad enough” to warrant support.
What you personally want to get out of counselling will largely determine when it’s the right time to consult with a therapist. Some parents simply want to ensure they’re doing their best at parenting, while others desire immediate intervention.
There are however a few common indications your experience with parenting could be improved with a therapist’s support. Kids who consistently don’t listen and frequently disregard rules or boundaries are one all too familiar sign your dynamic with your child isn’t as harmonious as it could be.
Another cue to look out for is if you and your child have become persistently disconnected—especially if they’re engaging in concerning behaviours that seem out of character. This could be illicit drug use, lying, stealing, or mood irregularities.
Lastly, you may simply feel unhappy or frustrated with your current circumstances and need some guidance to redirect old patterns. Change is hard at the best of times, but therapists can act as both catalysts and supports to ensure you’re giving yourself and your family the best shot at positive growth.
What Does Parenting Support Therapy Focus On?
Since parenting support therapy is a general term for a talk therapy specialization rather than a specific therapeutic framework, each therapist will have their own unique approach.
It’s typical to begin therapy in a one-on-one setting to thoroughly assess your situation and understand your personal struggles related to parenting. After some time, children, a partner, or both may be added to the sessions to better understand each perspective and get the whole family involved in making positive changes.
Parenting support therapy may at times delve into your own childhood experiences to better understand how they’ve affected your ability to show up as a parent. It’s difficult to recognize harmful patterns in ourselves if they’re all we’ve ever known, and it can be equally challenging to develop parenting skills that were never modelled for us.
Overall, parenting support therapy provides an unbiased holistic view of your family dynamics to uncover the root of your concerns. It’s a non-judgemental space where you can freely express and process your emotions while finding practical solutions to improve your home life.
How Parenting Support Counselling Can Help?
The years we spend with our children at home are formative, and they often seem to go by so quickly that we never quite get the chance to instill all the skills and lessons we hoped for. We sometimes never even reach the point where it feels like we’ve been able to address our own personal struggles, and this can limit our ability to be present for our kids.
Parenting support therapy can help you finally tend to whatever is holding you back from becoming the best parent you can be. It can empower you to act with intentional parental guidance, communicate effectively with your child, be confident in your decisions, and better understand what your child needs from you to thrive.
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