Often people assume that parenting is something that should just come naturally. However, for many this may not be true. Parenting can be difficult causing anxiety in even a well-adjusted and strongly attached parent.
Stress and strain when combined with the lack of sleep and other typical parenting “survival skills” can results in a devastating combination. Parents may turn to a number of defense mechanisms that will ultimately worsen the issue.
It can be hard for parents to realize that they need the assistance. Each stage of development and season in life brings a new set of exciting challenges that need a particular set of skills and developmental insight. Parenting therapy covers a multitude of issues ranging from post-partum depression to abuse prevention.
In some cases, parents choose to be preventative in therapy and seek professional advice as they prepare to become parents, journey through their child’s developmental stages, or prepare for changing seasons in life as a parent (i.e. empty nest). Just like driving a car, it is valuable to understand the “rules of the road”, and apply those “rules” to “behind the wheel” training. This can be accomplished by engaging in individual or couples parenting therapy, parenting classes, or group therapy opportunities. We also offer a special opportunity for parents of children ages preschool through preadolescents called Child Parent Relationship Therapy.
Parents will find therapy helpful when they start to experience chronic worry, uncontrolled anger, depression, or chronic irritability. Uncontrollable weeping, mood swings, manic-depressive responses, and the like are also cause for concern. It may become necessary to seek a therapist’s assistance if there has been any traumas or loss in the family such as the death of a child, infertility, adoption, fostering, divorce, newly diagnosed learning difference, chronic/terminal illness, or if the child has been processing sexual orientation/gender identity issues. If your child has been bullied, physically, emotionally or sexually abused, parenting therapy can be beneficial to help your child process this situation in a developmentally appropriate manner and help parents process how these events are impacting their life.
Child Parent Relationship Therapy
Child Parent Relationship Therapy is a play-based treatment program for children (ages 3-8 with adaptations available for toddlers and preadolescents) presenting with behavioral, emotional, social, and attachment disorders. It is based on the premise that a secure parent child relationship is essential for children's well-being. In a supportive group environment, parents learn skills to respond more effectively to their children's emotional and behavioral needs. In turn, children learn that they can count on their parents to reliably and consistently meet their needs for love, acceptance, safety and security.
What is the format of therapy? The class is administered in 10 weekly, 2 hour group sessions with 5-8 parents. It includes three key components: a didactic component, a supervision component and a group process component. During sessions 1-3, parents learn child-centered play therapy skills, concepts, and attitudes. In weeks 4-10, parents practice their new play skills in play sessions with their child and the therapist reviews the videos of parents' play sessions to provide focused supervision and feedback for parents in the small group format.
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If a parent prefers, the material can be taught in a one-on-one format. Contact Happy Camper Play Therapy for more information.