What is Parenting Therapy?

You’re here to understand what parenting therapy is? You may have heard of family counseling  before. That entails including the whole family in a session to address any negative situations or symptoms currently going on in the family. Family counseling is for all ages and works to leave every family member feeling validated and supported.

Parenting therapy is slightly different. Although it can be considered family therapy, there are some different aspects to it. Parenting therapy may still involve your children or teens in session with you. However, parenting therapy is more focused on supporting you as a parent. 

This can look like validating and supporting what you are going through as a parent. Parenting is not easy, and it can be difficult trying to navigate it alone or with little support. In parenting therapy, you may receive feedback and tips on your parenting skills. Therapists will understand how your parenting may affect your children/teens or the family unit as a whole.

Going to parenting therapy does not mean that you are a bad parent. Nor does it mean that you have poor parenting skills in place. Parenting therapy is here to provide you with additional growth and support in being a parent. Sometimes, we may question the decisions we make with our kids. Should I have said or done that, you may ask yourself?

This blog will share information about parenting therapy. It will include the following topics: signs to start parenting therapy. This can look like parenting fatigue, frustration, or hopelessness. Maybe current parenting tactics are not working out lately. What is parenting therapy? What can you expect in starting parenting therapy? Finally, how parenting therapy can help you achieve your long term goals. 

Family counseling in Simi Valley, Ca is here to help support and validate each family member in therapy sessions.

Click here to read 3 tips for finding a therapist in Simi Valley.

Signs to Start Parenting Therapy

There may be some present signs to start parenting therapy. A few tell tale ones could be that you, as parents, are feeling fatigued. Burnt out. Maybe you are even feeling frustrated and stressed more often. Or, you feel hopeless in your tactics as a parent, and don’t notice any behavioral changes. 

When we are fatigued or burnt out from parenting, it’s hard for us to have empathy for our children or teens. We may want to avoid dealing with tantrums or attitude and shut down completely. As parents, our feelings matter just as much as our kids. It’s important that we address what’s going on for us like we do for our kids. 

Maybe you notice yourself getting more frustrated and fed up with your kids. This could look like yelling more often, leaving when things get overwhelming, or being passive aggressive. Or, even just being passive, where we do not intervene at all with our kids. 

It’s important to recognize these signs and understand that these are normal occurrences for parents. On top of these being normal experiences, it’s okay for parents to experience this. Maybe when you were a child, your parents displayed these behaviors as well, and that’s all you know about parenting.

Other signs that you can benefit from parenting therapy could be that you simply are interested to learn and grow more as a parent. You feel that you don’t struggle with feeling too burnt out or stressed, but you recognize that you can continue to grow. A good indicator for going into this is actually wanting to receive that extra support and validation.

Child therapy in Simi Valley, Ca helps provide the family with target goals and values during session to ensure that real change is being made.

Click here to read about 3 reasons to start child therapy.

What is Parenting Therapy?

Parenting therapy is very similar to family counseling, as described in the introduction. It may entail the same values and goals in going into therapy. However, there are some slightly different aspects to it. While it still counts as family counseling, this type of therapy is more geared towards the parents.

In sessions, the therapist may sit down with you to first gather some more background information on what’s been going on lately. How are you, as a parent, feeling? How are you doing? Have you identified any areas of support or growth you would like to receive during therapy?

The therapist can work to target goals and values with you. Maybe you are wanting to incorporate more meaningful activities with your kids, but are needing help in navigating that. Your goal may be to strengthen your relationship with your family. Values of yours could be mutual respect, mutual understanding, and overall being on good terms with your kids. 

It could be that you’re seeking psychoeducation on kids and parenting in session. You’re wanting to learn how to grow and incorporate this new knowledge into your parenting skills. For example, you’re just fed up with tantrums and unsuccessful attempts to resolve them. The therapist may work to provide you with tools and skill sets to improve tantrum de-escalation, or even prevention. 

Maybe you are looking to examine your language or relationship with your kids. Is it appropriate for me to be discussing the divorce going on with the kids right now? Should I be punishing them for vaping this way? Or, should I be punishing them at all for that? How can I better support my kids?

Parenting therapy will work such as regular therapy, where you meet on a regular basis for 50 minute sessions. During these sessions, you will be able to discuss goals, plans, homework, and maybe even process your past as a child. 

Parenting therapy in Simi Valley, Ca is a great resource for parents feeling burnt out or frustrated. You can (and deserve) to receive support through parenting therapy!

Click here to read about how to parent with anxiety.

How Can Parenting Therapy Help?

Parenting therapy can help you grow as a parent, and also strengthen your connection with your family. The whole family unit will improve due to parenting therapy. After treatment is finished, you will continue to utilize your learned techniques and skill sets in everyday life.

You will be learning a lot about yourself as well as your family during this process. Parenting therapy will aid in increasing your self awareness as well as awareness around your family members. Coping mechanisms and skill sets will be taught to you when difficulties arise, such as tantrums.

Parenting therapy will leave you with a toolbox of skills and techniques that you can utilize with your family. This will help ensure healthy, safe communication or parenting techniques. It can also help in relieving stress or frustration around parenting as well.

Therapy in Simi Valley is here to support parents. We value making sure every client feels validated, heard, and understood in their sessions with us.

Click here to read about 3 ways to reward yourself as a parent.

About Simi Psychological Group: We are a team of psychologists and therapists in Simi Valley, Ca offering an array of therapy services. 

At our therapy practice in Simi Valley, Ca we offer Child therapy and family counseling, Teen therapy, Anxiety Treatment, Depression Therapy, Marriage Counseling, and Neuropsychological Testing. Now Offering Online Therapy in Los Angeles and Online Counseling Ventura County