Being a parent is a doozy and there’s just no getting around that fact! Parenting and family life inevitably stir up old wounds and intense vulnerability. I have worked with parents and families throughout my entire career, and I fundamentally believe that the parents I work with love their children and want to do right by them. It’s also true that parenting and family dynamics are complex and constantly shifting, and sometimes it is with our nearest and dearest that we need the most support.

I approach my work with parents and families assuming good intent. I support them in gaining insight into what might be getting churned up from their past in relation to their children or partner. I also provide psycho-education about developmental phases and different ways of relating which allow parents and family members to reframe their perceptions of the dynamic at play. Finally, I provide practical tools and solution-focused ideas to create immediate behavior change as parents and families often seek therapeutic support when a child or the family is in acute distress.

I am available to provide co-parenting support to separated or divorced parents if both parties are committed to the process. In this case, the work would focus more on psycho-education and practical solutions. I also work with families whose caregivers are undergoing a separation or divorce and in this case, the work would be focused on helping the children move through their emotional reaction to the split and providing practical tools and suggestions.

Some of the struggles I commonly encounter when working with parents are:

  • difficulty understanding a child's behavior and choices

  • co-parenting conflict

  • complex dynamics with step-parents

  • managing and shaping behaviors

  • working through a hardship your child has suffered

  • adoption specific challenges

  • arguments between siblings

  • difficulty connecting with your child

  • over-identifying with your child

  • trying to effectively parent while anxious or depressed

In family therapy, I often work with:

  • intolerable levels of discord

  • stuck communication patterns

  • mood or behavioral symptoms showing up in one family member

  • reactions to parental friction up to and including separation and divorce

  • families trying to integrate a step parent and/or step-siblings

  • reactions to a difficult event or trauma

  • sibling rivalry

  • difficulty connecting as a family