How Does Therapy Help With Parenthood?

Parenthood can be an enriching, intensely challenging, beautifully peaceful, messy, and chaotic experience. As parents, we are not given a handbook or training on navigating the unique and complex experiences our children create. Our own family of origin and lived experience generate an example that will influence how we parent and respond to the experience of parenthood. Mental health therapy can provide support and guidance for parents in several ways:

Stress Management

Parenthood often comes with increased stressors, such as financial pressures, sleep deprivation, and the responsibility of caring for another life. Therapy can provide coping mechanisms and stress management techniques to help parents navigate these challenges more effectively. In my work, I educate parents on their nervous system and create awareness of the emotional and somatic responses that they may experience as they navigate stress. 

Emotional Support

Parenting can bring up a wide range of emotions, from joy and fulfillment to frustration and guilt. A therapeutic relationship offers a safe space for parents to express and process these emotions without judgment, allowing them to develop a healthier emotional balance. Parenting groups, blogs, and podcasts can also provide a sense of shared experience and help normalize the emotions experienced by parents. I have found that having a therapeutic place where I can vent, cry, and celebrate my experience as a mother has provided me with much-needed emotional relief. 

Improved Communication

Effective communication is vital to maintaining healthy relationships, including family relationships. But how do we know if our communication is effective, and how can we repair it when it's not? Evidence-based therapeutic techniques can serve as a guide for improving self-awareness and communication. I have found that having the opportunity to speak with someone objective who can reflect and hold space for the big emotions parenting brings can help with conversations with my teenagers during the week. Communication will be an ongoing challenge as children and teenagers go through different stages of individuation. As they continue to grow and change, as parents, we will continue to grow and change with them.  

Therapy can also provide parents with valuable parenting strategies and techniques to address specific issues they may be facing, such as managing behavior problems. Identifying and holding boundaries are techniques that are useful to create healthy relationships. 

Self-Care

You may think, "Who has time for that as a parent?" It's easy for parents to neglect their own well-being while prioritizing their children's needs. Self-care can appear in many forms, such as setting personal goals to attend nutrition, exercise, meditation, or adding social events with other adults. Therapy can encourage parents to prioritize self-care and set boundaries, ensuring they have the physical and emotional resources to be their best selves. 

Identity Exploration

Parenthood can sometimes bring up questions about identity and purpose. Perhaps this question arises when you are pregnant or when your friendships change due to differing lifestyles. Exploring this life transition with a trained therapist can provide a space for parents to explore these questions and gain clarity about their roles and aspirations outside of parenting. 

Preventing Burnout

Parental burnout is a genuine concern, particularly for those who feel overwhelmed by the demands of parenthood. When you have heard your name called 25 times in one day and are tending to the needs of children, every request can seem heavy. Therapy can help parents recognize the signs of burnout and develop strategies to prevent it, ensuring they can continue to care for their children effectively. Strategies may include learning to ask for help, identifying support, or setting boundaries. 

Celebrating Milestones and Successes

Whether you have a community of friends and family or a few support persons, having people witness the growth and goals in a person's life can lead to a feeling of belonging and emotional security. Therapy can guide a person into creating community in their lives so that the joys can be celebrated. 

Mental health therapy can be a helpful resource for parents, providing support, guidance, and tools to navigate the challenges of parenthood with greater resilience and well-being. As parents, we have experienced our own lives and now have the opportunity to walk alongside our children as they experience theirs. This journey of parenthood is adventurous, with many ups and downs that are made easier with mental health support.