Counselling for parents
UK onlne therapy for parents and carers& Guardians of Teens and Young Adults in Somerset UK and Uganda
I provide UK onlne therapy for parents and carers cross the UK , Supporting Families, Parents, Guardians and carers that aim to enhance the co-parenting relationship and promote the mental health, growth, and well-being of their children.
Are you parents and caregivers in Somerset, Devon UK, Uganda or anywhere else concerned about your child’s behaviour?
Are you worried that they might get into trouble or that they are hanging out with the wrong crowd? Do they exhibit behaviors that make you feel helpless or question your parenting skills, thinking that they are spiraling out of control?
Parenting can be quite challenging, and it’s common to feel torn between being strict or lenient with your child. Struggling with your parental role can have a negative impact on your relationships and well-being. Seeking guidance from trusted parenting counselors can make a difference.
At Acorn therapy, we offer friendly parenting therapy and counseling to help you navigate the ups and downs of raising a child. Our skilled counselors can assist with issues like disobedience or self-harm in children, providing personalized services to address family challenges effectively.
I can help you identify where you’re facing difficulties in parenting and equip you with new strategies to tackle them confidently. Whether you need support at home or seek to improve communication with your kids, I am here to assist you in achieving your parenting objectives.
What Is Parent Counseling? & How Could It Help My Family?
Parent counseling is a valuable service designed to offer knowledge, support, tools, and empathy without any form of judgment or bias. Unlike family counseling, parent counseling is specifically focused on how your role as a parent influences your family dynamics.
Through various therapeutic approaches, parent counseling helps parents gain insight into their unique parenting style and delves into how different challenges can impact and potentially alter this style. By arming parents with the skills to address their own personal issues, they can dedicate their full attention to nurturing, developing, or restoring harmony within their home.
I provide a safe platform for parents and caregivers to discuss any problems, decisions, worries, or life changes they may be facing. The issues we address do not have to be solely about parenting.
How Can Parent Counselling Help My Family?
Some advantages of parent counseling include:
Gaining an impartial perspective on your household, enabling you to make informed decisions with input from a qualified expert.
Enhanced insight into your parenting approach, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of your natural style to leverage the positives and address the negatives.
Improved conflict resolution skills. Parent counseling can equip you with strategies to address conflicts constructively, illustrating to your child that disagreements can lead to healthy discussions rather than aggression or confusion.
Managing parental expectations. In situations where parent-child conflicts reach an impasse, it’s beneficial to reassess your expectations. Parent counseling can guide you through this process and offer various techniques to navigate such conflicts effectively.
Lastly, crucially, parent counseling alleviates the pressure of being a perfect parent. Many parents hesitate to seek counseling due to a fear of appearing inadequate. In reality, counseling signifies a commitment to growth and support. Counselors work non-judgmentally with parents to help them be the best caregivers they can be. Taking strides to enhance your parenting skills demonstrates your dedication to your children, leading to long-term benefits for both you and your family.
You may be experiencing some of the following parenting issues:
- Parents and carers who is experiencing some problems with your child or children, whether they are young, adolescent or fully grown
- Thinking about fostering, adopting or stepchildren and managing the impact and effects this has on you
- Experiencing empty nest syndrome and its effects on you or the family unit
- Coping with living with an adult child or children who can’t afford to leave home – and negotiating the shared living issues it causes
- Have blended family problems – communication, power struggles, resentment, negotiating ‘holidays or family celebrations’ … ‘who has the kids at Christmas?’
- Counselling parents with Homosexual Children- if your child has come out to you as lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer or similar
- You may be negotiating the troubles and challenges of divorce, separation, step-parenting and lone parenting on the family
- Family issues that arise following a traumatic event – the death of a family member, serious injury, rape or attack
- Parenting issues and worries of the new born baby or child
- Parenting issues and challenges of an adolescent, teenager or young adult
- Single parent challenges
•Parent-Teen Conflict, •Bullying / Being Bullied, •Social Skills Academic •Pressure, Mood Swings, •Social Anxiety, Self – •Esteem / Self-Confidence, •Sports performance, •Depression, Peer Pressure / Social Judgment, Anxiety, •Grief / Loss, Attention / •Concentration / •Hyperactivity, Development •Transition, •Sexual Identity / •Orientation, Abuse / •Neglect / Assault, Life •Management (organization, planning, decision making)
Substance-Related and Addictive issues
- Alcohol-related
- Cannabis-related
- Hallucinogen-related
- Inhalant-related
- Sedative-, hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-related
- Stimulant-related
- Tobacco-related
I’m concerned about the safety of my child.
If there is an immediate danger, please call 999. If not, please follow our advice on how to seek urgent assistance.
Why Is Parent Counseling Important?
Who Requires Parental Guidance?
While we suggest every parent participates at least once, parental guidance is particularly essential for parents who are:
Facing Marital Challenges
From financial issues to unfaithfulness, marital struggles greatly impact the children within the family. It is vital to address and resolve these issues to prevent the child from developing distorted views on love and marriage.
Struggling with Health Issues
Health concerns, including mental health issues, can hinder parents from fully engaging with their family and meeting their parental duties.
Navigating Separation or Divorce
The process of separation or divorce affects both parents and children. Besides the added hurdles of single parenthood, newly separated or divorced parents must carefully manage their children’s emotions and guide them through the transition.
Encountering Abuse or Violence
Any form of abuse experienced by a parent can lead to fear, tension, and escalating aggression within the household.
Coping with Grief
Whether it involves the loss of a child, spouse, marriage, or job, experiencing grief can disrupt the child as much as it does the parent – especially if the parent struggles to cope with the loss while fulfilling their responsibilities.
Struggling with Substance Misuse
Substance abuse affects numerous parents around the world, often impairing their parenting abilities and increasing the risk of mental health issues that hinder their parenting.
Dealing with Child/Teen Issues
At times, children can be a source of stress and challenges, particularly with teenagers who undergo rapid changes. Parents often worry about substance abuse, while teens are concerned about mental health and bullying. Parental guidance equips parents with the skills to detect any issues their child may encounter and communicate effectively to assist them without stigma.
Some benefits of Parents and Carers counselling include:
- I will give you an unbiased outsider’s view into your home which has no judgement, allowing you to make objective decisions for your good.
- Together we will figure out a better understanding of your parenting style. You may notice the pros and cons of your inherent way of parenting, which might help you make adjustments where needed.
- Better conflict management skills. Parent counselling with me may help you gain techniques to handle conflict – which might indirectly teach your children about healthy conflict and a good opener for communication as opposed to violent and confusing confrontation.
- You might find a way to better manage parental expectations. When a parent-child conflict has reached the point where neither of you can be a winner – the best thing to do is step back and revaluate what you are expecting of your child. Through Parent counselling with me, we will walk through the best way to do this, and figure out a way to navigate these conflicts.
How can UK online therapy for parents and carers help?
Bringing your parenting concerns to therapy will enable you to listen to and comprehend your worries, pinpoint the underlying causes of misunderstanding and miscommunication, find comfort in knowing that you are doing well, or determine areas where assistance may be needed if you are not managing as effectively.
This is the period when unaddressed anxieties and concerns, coupled with fatigue, can escalate into post-natal depression.
What activities can be done at home?
• Allocate time for communication, specifically for one-on-one conversations – Engage in meaningful conversations while participating in activities together, so that they become comfortable discussing their emotions.
• Engage in playtime together – Playtime fosters curiosity, facilitates learning, problem-solving, and enables the expression of emotions without the use of words.
• Serve as a role model – Demonstrate effective ways to manage challenging emotions and prioritize self-care.
Key parenting tips to remember:
- Model, don’t manipulate.
- Lead, don’t intimidate.
- Support, don’t shame.
- Encourage, don’t threaten.
- Guide, don’t push.
- Listen, don’t lecture.
If you’re looking for information on child mental health and wellbeing, the NHS is a great resource. For more specialised information, Young Minds, MindEd, and our Acorn Therapy Useful links are excellent sources
No one should have to suffer alone, whether you are a parent, carer, or child. I am here to provide support and assistance, both in person and online via Zoom, no matter where you are in the world.
I provide a FREE initial consultation counselling session, following which parents can proceed to weekly sessions. You have the option to attend the sessions with your partner, co-parent, or by yourself. I work with a diverse range of parents from various backgrounds and circumstances. My practice is inclusive, promoting equality, and culturally aware.