Families and Parenting

Family Work

Sometimes, difficulties may arise from family problems (e.g. sibling difficulties, family separation or conflict) or coping with behaviours that are challenging to manage and understand.

We offer work with families experiencing difficulties where it is having an impact on the whole family and not just an individual member. Having a safe space to explore and understand some of the family dynamics is important, especially in the context of conflict and separation.

For family work, due to the complexity of the work and ensuring best practice, we typically work with a co-therapist. Usually, the co-therapists will meet with the parents in the first instance to gain an understanding of the difficulties the family are facing; we may also meet with the children separately if this is appropriate. We will then collaboratively decide on rules and boundaries for this work. Sometimes family work involves individual work with the parents or children and where this is indicated, we will explain as to how this would work.

Family sessions tend to be longer than typical therapy sessions, to allow for everyone to have space and time. Sessions are normally 90-minutes, however where there are lots of family members, this may need to be longer.

As family work involves more than one therapist, please Contact Me to discuss this as there are different fees and processes to booking.

Parenting

Parenting work does not mean the problem is because you’re a bad parent or that it’s your fault. A lot of work begins with parents because sometimes children need to have different approaches to support them, and these approaches are not the usual skills needed. The basis of parenting work allows time and space for parents to understand their child’s unique journey and needs.

Parenting work is incredibly important, and we will start by thinking about your personal journey into your family and the narrative your family holds. We will explore and gain an understanding of the challenges you face, how you are managing now and what you would like to achieve.

Sessions will focus on understanding your child’s behaviour and what is driving this; developing your relationship with your child and recognising the impact of the difficulties you face and learning skills and approaches to adapt the way you parent your child with the goal of developing a tool box of strategies to help you.

We offer parenting support drawing on therapeutic parenting ideas. Therapeutic parenting is helpful for families who are struggling with children who show emotional distress, insecurity and poor attachments and behaviours which are challenging. The approach holds the view that parenting involves a high structure/high nurture approach that fosters feelings of safety and connectedness to the child using the principles of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy (PACE). Children will often show you how they feel through their behaviour, they need to feel that you have connected with the emotional part of their brain so they can stop showing their behaviour which they can only do if they feel safe.