Skip to main content

© Calm The Waves. All rights reserved. Designed by Joe Joubert.

Get in Touch

Parenting – where is the instruction guide?!

You may love being a parent and also struggle, you may have found it much harder than you expected and find it hard to communicate that to others. Parenting can often feel lonely, isolating, a sense that you are winging it most days.

You might be reading this as you feel you have tried everything, asked friends, family members even AI for advice, yet still you feel there is a gap widening in your family connection and that recognition that things are changing and not in the way you would like.

Get in Touch
Parent & Carer Therapy

You might recognise moments like:

  • Saying things that you don’t really mean and feeling the guilt afterwards
  • Exploding without warning or feeling emotional about things you never worried about, leading to a sense of parenting overwhelm
  • Noticing familiar patterns showing up in your own parenting, even when you don’t want them to
  • Feeling on autopilot as you balance transitions, sibling arguments, meltdowns, frustrations
  • Struggling to keep on top of the everyday life admin tasks, housework, school emails
  • Feeling emotionally exhausted, yet focusing on everyone else’s needs before your own
  • Navigating single parenting or becoming a blended family and what that means for your household
  • Unable to switch your brain off, multiple tabs open in your head, the worries, thoughts, scenario planning, that keep you awake at night
  • Navigating the uncertainty that can follow an autism or ADHD diagnosis and what this means for you and your family
  • Dealing with the difficulties of getting your child to school (emotionally based school avoidance)
  • Feeling you are smashing it some days and yet barely able to function on others
Parents Therapy teaser
Parents Therapy teaser
Parents Therapy teaser
Parents Therapy teaser

Why do I react the way I do?

As a parent you may not have learnt how to regulate yourself and you may feel when parenting you explode without warning, or feel emotional over things you never used to worry about. Your own learnt patterns may have been to keep emotions inside, or been told others find you too much. When your children respond in ways that are similar or different from you, this may activate those very responses that you recognise you are looking to understand and potentially change.

You may find asking for help a struggle because support hasn’t always been provided in the way you need, or a voice tells you that isn’t what ‘strong’ people do. You might have landed on this page before, but that voice keeps questioning why you can’t just parent properly and get on with it. This can all lead to a sense of parenting overwhelm, and sessions can help make sense of this.

About Me
Get in Touch
Parents Therapy teaser

Understanding behaviour and building connection

This is where parenting sessions can help you; you don’t have to wait till you are at breaking point. In sessions we can:

  • Create a deeper understanding of what the behaviour is communicating and understand how this shapes the family dynamics
  • Give space to the parts of you that need to be seen and validated
  • Use this understanding to explore ways to build connection, use communication that feels calmer and clearer and look to reduce family conflict
  • Learn how to respond rather than react and understand how to repair after rupture
  • Support your family, and move towards being the parent you want to be, one where your own needs are heard, not just everyone else’s

Depending on what you need, we might start with psychoeducation sessions, looking at:

  • How children’s and teenagers’ brains develop
  • How trauma and stress affect behaviour
  • What attachment really means in everyday family life
  • How neurodiversity shapes relationships and can affect family life and school attendance
  • How your own childhood experiences may be influencing the way you respond

You may want to explore specific incidents and break them down to understand what patterns may be happening and gain the tools and insight to respond differently.

I provide parenting support sessions tailored to you and your family, whether that’s a set number of sessions or open-ended with regular reviews.

We will work at your pace; change takes time, it won’t be perfect, and it won’t happen overnight.

My sessions are not about becoming a perfect parent as I do not believe they exist.

I do believe that when we share the difficulties of parenting without judgement or a need to say it is all ok when it really isn’t, we can start to make sense of what may be happening. Parenting doesn’t always have to feel like you have to carry it alone. If any of this feels familiar, please get in touch to explore what a new chapter in your parenting journey could look like.

Contact Me
  • Parent Therapy
    £110

    75 minutes
    Weekly Face to face in Ashley Cross (Poole) or near Christchurch, Dorset

A free 20-minute phone call gives us an opportunity to talk about what is bringing you to parent therapy, understand a little more about your family dynamics and see whether I feel I am the right person to work with you.

Get in touch to explore what support might look like for you.

Get In Touch

Parent Therapy FAQs

Do I need to attend with my child?
No. Parenting sessions are just for you. We’ll talk about your child or children, but they don’t need to attend.
Can I attend as a single parent?
Yes, sessions can be attended by one parent, many parents find this works well. Depending on your family situation, we might talk about whether bringing your co-parent in at some point could help; that’s always something we’d decide together, not something expected of you. We will work in ways that work with your situation.
Do I need to be in crisis before asking for support?
No. While many parents reach out during crisis points, coming earlier can help you explore patterns and behaviours before they become too ingrained.
Can parenting therapy help after an autism or ADHD diagnosis?
Yes. Having space to process your own thoughts and feelings around a diagnosis can be really valuable. We can explore what the diagnosis may mean for communication, connection, and family dynamics, and what changes might support you. I work with this regularly however I will always be honest if I feel you need more specialist support than I can offer.
How many sessions will I need?
This really depends on what you’re bringing and what feels right for you. Some parents prefer a short piece of targeted work around a specific issue; others choose ongoing sessions with regular reviews. We’ll talk about this when we meet and find a path that works for you.
What if I feel ashamed, judged, or worried I’m not a “good enough” parent?
Many parents feel this way before reaching out. Parenting can bring up old patterns, big emotions, and moments you’re not proud of, and it’s human. This space isn’t about being a perfect parent, it is about understanding what’s being communicated in the home, with compassion rather than judgement.
Will you tell me how to parent my child?
I am not here to tell you how you should parent, as there are no strict rules and we are all different. My work with you is around understanding and exploring what patterns may be happening, what the behaviour may be communicating, and how your own experiences may be present. We can then link this to helping you find approaches that fit your family, supporting you in making new pathways of connection and improving communication.
What ages do you work with and do you work with all families?

Parenting challenges can arise at any time and at any stage, so the work is more focused around how we can support your relationships, communication and connection. I adapt the tools and suggestions based on the children’s age.

I can work with families across many different situations. However, there will be times where, after our introduction call, I may advise that I don’t feel I am the right fit for you. This may be because the presenting issues are in areas that I don’t have specific training or experience in.