Is my child’s challenging behavior developmentally appropriate or do we need to intervene?

When I hear this question, it’s frequently because parents are feeling guilty talking about the challenges they have with their child, or silly now that they’ve said the challenges out loud. If you’re looking for support, it’s often because things aren’t sustainable the way they’re going. Even if the behavior is developmentally appropriate, there are many ways we can support you and your child to reduce stress and increase joy and connection at any age and stage.

My child is the problem, so why should I start therapy?

Families function through relationships, meaning that no individual handles a problem alone, even if there other family members aren’t aware that they’re impacted. This is especially true for children.  If a child is facing a challenge, each family member has a role to play in that challenge. As the adult in the family system, you have the power to change the environment and the structure of the relationship, which can shift the problem. Children do not have the power to change the environment. The parents I work with are open and willing to take ownership of their role and work to change the environment for their family. Parents who aren’t yet open to this generally aren’t open to parenting work, and that’s okay. I’m here whenever you’re ready.

How long will therapy take?

The length of therapy depends on many factors. One factor is how long you’ve been navigating the challenge you’d like to work on. If this challenge has been a long term concern, it’s likely going to take awhile for us to unpack the challenge, shift things to a more sustainable place, and solidify this restructuring your new normal. Another factor is how deeply you’re willing to go with unpacking the challenge. Some parents are interested in simply reducing the intensity of the challenge on the surface so life feels more manageable. Some parents want to keep working until we find the root of the issue so we can bring long-term healing to the challenges at hand.

Does online therapy work as well as in-person therapy?

The current research we have shows that online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy. I’ve found that for many parents, online therapy is often more accessible because it’s logistically easier to work into busy schedules and meet from the comfort of your home or office. All you need is a private space to meet, a stable internet connection, and a device that can connect to the internet. Deciding if online therapy is a good fit is a person-dependent choice, however. If you’re curious if it might be a good fit for you, please reach out so we can talk it through together.