Given my interest in working with adolescents, I also enjoy working with parents of adolescents to help work on understanding this developmental period better as well as on specific skills to utilize with teens such as communication skills.
For new parents, it can be upsetting and frightening to have feelings about parenthood that don’t seem “right.”
For some, a morning run, a healthy diet and receiving help and support from family and friends are sufficient enough to get through the initial adjustment period. For others, talking to a therapist who specializes in dealing with new parenthood issues can be comforting, relieving and enlightening.
Therapists who have extensive education and training in peri-natal mental health understand that hormone changes, personal and family history, and social support are all vital factors in understanding and alleviating postpartum symptoms.
Common postpartum symptoms include:
Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if you should have become a mother in the first place
Feeling guilty due to high self-expectations
Not feeling “bonded” with the baby
Your thoughts are racing and you can’t quiet your mind
Feeling empty and numb as if you’re just going through the motions
Lack of focus and concentration
Being afraid that if you reach out for help, others will judge your inabilities
Thoughts of running away or leaving your baby behind
Being constantly in a state of worry
If one or more of the above symptoms resonates with you, I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation. Together, we’ll find the underlying issues that make you feel disconnected from your baby and create a strategy for moving forward. Contact me today to see how I can help.
Parenting is not easy and more people struggle with parenting their children who may have a mental health disorder. My extensive training in multiple treatment approaches can be a great benefit to you and your family.
Facing our own selves as parents, doing one of the hardest jobs day after day, re-visiting our own attachments and breaking unhealthy patterns from our own families of origin is hard work...and it's possible. Parenting can be rewarding and bring us to our knees in desperation. We can lose sight of taking care of ourselves along the way. Let's work together so you can stay focused on actually being the type of parent you want to be and need to be - for your kids, your partner, and for yourself.
Marriage and Family Therapist, Woodland Counseling
Parenting is the best and hardest job most of have ever had. One of the biggest challenges that parents face today is finding a balance between work and family life. This can often involve juggling multiple responsibilities at once, such as taking care of children, meeting deadlines at work, and keeping up with household duties.
Parenting can be so hard at times and so different from what we expect it to be. Challenges we never saw coming might make us feel helpless, inadequate or ashamed. I have nearly 20 years of experience working with parents and guardians who are struggling with a number of issues including supporting children with special needs, depression and self-harm, disordered eating, anxiety, trauma, bullying, social isolation, mental health diagnoses, problems at school and addictions.
Parenting can be joyful, surprising, stressful and overwhelming - often all in one day. Helping parents explore their own narrative around being parents, finding tools to healthy parenting and identifying obstacles that get in the way of mindful parenting are part of this work.
Parenting is not easy and more people struggle with parenting their children who may have a mental health disorder. My extensive training in multiple treatment approaches can be a great benefit to you and your family.
All parents have faced challenging issues with their children, and we can all benefit from new information and guidance. I have extensive expertise working with children and their families, from infancy through the teen years. When working with parents, my goal is to offer support, guidance, and evidence-based counseling to help you through the tough times!