It’s widely regarded that parenting is one of the toughest jobs around. New York City has its own challenges and good psychotherapy can help.
Here are some parenting challenges that commonly come up in our practice:
- Raising kids who aren’t spoiled (especially when surrounded by the intense wealth of New York City)
- Children getting picked on or bullied in school
- Dealing with co-parenting and divorce
- Negotiating issues related to the use of alcohol and drugs
- Talking with children about sex and sexuality
- Fighting over homework
- Making decisions about school placement
- Differences between parents regarding parent styles
- Fights over studying and poor grades
Parents come to us for therapy looking for different kinds of help. Sometimes they’re looking for family therapy; other times they’ve come for therapy as couple or by themselves looking for guidance on the above issues and more.
In our practice, family therapy is a short-term proposition. This is because, in our opinion, what it means to be a good parent can’t be separated from the over-all demands of growth as a human being. Our ability to build with conflict, to speak rationally, to be demanding of those around us, and build relationships are skills that are valuable throughout life, not just in relationships with our children.
Divorce and co-parenting
Divorce is never easy on a child, but there’s plenty that parents can do to make the situation go as well as possible. Parents need support, together and separately, in coping with their own feelings of loss and hurt in ways that do not put the child in a position of having to take on more than their share of grief and hurt. Further, parents need to work hard at supporting their child’s relationship with the other parent.
This is an immense challenge–supporting children through divorce–and one that can be greatly aided by good psychotherapy.
Single parent?
Whether by choice or by circumstance, single parenting brings its own unique challenges. Psychotherapy, whether individual therapy, group therapy or family therapy, can be a great way of getting out of parenting alone.
Adoption
We have tremendous experience working with children and adults who have been adopted, as well as with parents who are considering adoption or who are raising adoptive children. While each situation is unique, if you’re looking for therapy to help with issues related to adoption, give us a call.