Why Counseling Can Help Support Parents and Heal the Parent-child Relationship

21 Mar Why Counseling Can Help Support Parents and Heal the Parent-child Relationship

Parenting can be a struggle. Between setting boundaries, encouraging positive behavior, and handling discipline, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. In situations where a parent does not have the best support network or the child is dealing with mental health issues, therapist support for parents can be incredibly valuable. This may be in addition to children’s therapy for the child. 

Why is Parenting Support Necessary?

When a child struggles, it can affect the entire family unit as well as your personal mental health and stress levels. With therapist support for parents, you don’t weather the storm alone. Parent support counseling can assist with improving parenting skills, as well as relationships between the parent and child.

Counseling can help guide the parent through their challenges, as well as work to address other issues it may have caused, such as problems in the marriage or feelings of depression.   

Challenges Associated with Parenting and Mental Health Issues 

Parents of children who have behavioral or mental health issues face more challenges than most. The standard responsibilities become harder to navigate, and this can truly take a toll on the family unit. Some challenges associated with parenting with mental health issues include: 

• Feeling helpless in terms of helping the child 
• Feeling overextended and exhausted due to emotional stress 
• Finding it difficult to cope with the child’s unique needs 

By the same token, parents who have mental health struggles themselves can find general parenting to be exponentially harder. For example, a parent that struggles with an anxiety disorder may have a hard time setting healthy boundaries instead of being overly strict. Or, a parent with depression may have a hard time offering positive reinforcement when the child needs it. 

What Does Parenting Support Look like?

Parenting support can be a form of family therapy.  While family counseling is often thought of as including two or more family members, it can also focus on addressing the needs of individuals within the family, like a parent or child.  The therapy can also extend to other people helping to raise the child, such as a stepparent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or older sibling. 

You Don’t Have to Parent Through Challenges Alone 

The old adage that raising a child can take a village does bear some truth. Parents don’t always naturally know how to handle every situation, but a therapeutic support network can be a major help. Contact Psych Choices today to learn more about family counseling, child therapy, and parent support therapy services.