Counseling for Children of Therapists
You hoped things would be different for your child and family because you’re supposed to “know what to do” after all, right? I mean, this is exactly what you trained all these years for.
You know about child development and the impact of parent’s relationships on children’s wellbeing.
You understand attachment theory and can geek out about attachment styles with the best of them.
You’ve done your best to teach your child that all of their feelings are okay, and if you’re honest with yourself, you feel a bit ashamed that they’re struggling.
You’re trying not to beat yourself up for the way your child is struggling, trying to remind yourself that it’s not all your fault and that being the child of a therapist unfortunately doesn’t make them immune to life’s challenges, as much as you wish it could.
You know a lot of the technically “right” things to do or say, but it’s just so different when it’s your own kid.
We see you.
Hey, you.
We know you’re exhausted after long days, and doing your damn best to be emotionally present to your child after giving so much energy to your own clients. We know you don’t want to be talked at by a therapist, and that you’re looking for what can feel like a *am I asking for too much* balance of a therapist that doesn’t talk down to you (you already know, in every single way, that yelling at your kid doesn’t help. You’ve read that book, too.) but who can give you new perspective, who can connect to not only your child, *but also to you* on a human to human level.
You’re looking for a therapist who can help you feel safe enough to relax and *be the client*, so you don’t have to worry about your child’s therapist judging your own validity as a therapist based on the struggles your child or family may be facing.
You know that family dynamics influence behavior and relationships, but you also know that no amount of book knowledge can help those dynamics shift when you’re in the middle of it yourself.
You know your own shit is getting stirred up by seeing your child struggle, and you want nothing more than to help them have a childhood they don’t have to spend years recovering from.
You know, on so many levels, the power of therapy, and you want nothing more than your child to experience the relationship, healing, and transformation that you see with your own clients.
As a therapist yourself, we know you have a high standard when it comes to finding help for your child. We won’t shy away from your questions about therapeutic modalities that we use or how we conceptualize the challenges your child is facing. We will help you make the most informed decision about if we provide the kind of therapy you are looking for and whether or not we truly think we can help.
But ultimately, we strive to create a space where it’s safe enough to acknowledge the ways that you, your family, or your child is struggling, where you can drop the letters behind your name for an hour and just be “mom,” “dad,” “parent.”