Parenting

“Hello. My name is Regina. And I’m a parent.”

Nothing really prepares you to become a parent. Some of us were lucky enough to have parents that set a good example. But others grew up in homes where the dynamic between child and parent was anything but functional or consistently loving. 

But the truth is, even if you did have loving parents that did right by you 24/7, you can never be fully prepared to handle sticky situations with your own children. You never really know what behavioral challenges your child may wind up struggling with, and how those will affect you, your other children and the family as a whole. 

Sometimes we are just too close to the problem and we can’t see the big picture. Getting help from a Marriage and Family therapist can provide an external perspective to help navigate through those demanding behaviors that push parents skill sets, like:

• Raising a strong-willed child

• Engaging with an angry or defiant teenager

• Guiding a neurodivergent child (AD/HD, Autism, etc)

• Supporting a child who is anxious or withdrawn

A “No Blame Zone”

I need to be up front with you, though. If what you are looking for is someone to “fix” your kid…I’m not the therapist for you. 

I use the Internal Family Systems model to support families to get a clear picture of the unintentional cycles that are created and reinforced by family dynamics (behaviors, expectations, fears, hopes). This means that I won’t waste your precious time looking for a scapegoat and deciding who is the “problem.” Instead we will use a combination of simple strategic shifts along with repairing breached connections to move you towards the vibrant, supportive family you dreamed of becoming. 

(To maximize our work together, sometimes I will meet with the parent(s) alone, sometimes with the kids while parent(s) wait in the lobby, sometimes with a specific parent/child set, and sometimes as a whole family.)

If you: 

• Are looking for ways to shift behavioral issues in your child, such as aggression and defiance…

• Need help in taking care of yourself and managing your own stress in response to your kiddo’s behavior…

• Want to learn strategies to understand and support your neurodivergent child’s physical, emotional and social development…

• Desire to build a family experience of warmth, playfulness, support, guidance, and becoming our best selves…

Then please get in touch with me. I invite you to ask as many questions as you need to see if we will be a good fit for one another (I know how fierce my inner mamma bear can be making sure my kids are getting the right help – so I don’t expect any less from my clients).