As a parent, you may feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities inherent in raising kids. Sometimes it feels like "just winging it" in terms of techniques to use or ways to guide children. This can create stress on your marriage and a sense of helplessness in the parenting realm. Guidance on how to parent certain types of kids can go beyond what parenting books provide or well-meaning advice from friends and family. Strong-willed or anxious children can create a particular challenge, as they need a customized parenting style that is sometimes counter-intuitive to how many of us were raised.
I bring an attachment-focused approach to parenting that is based in family systems, positive parenting, as well as solid cognitive-behavioral work. I believe that each child and his or her behavior is unique and special. In order to create more joy and harmony in the family, we often need to create a focused parenting plan that will serve that child in the best way. What we want is to cultivate high self-esteem and success through attachment and praise while parents simultaneously work to establish and maintain the alpha role in the household.
At times, stressful situations lead to all-around family difficulty and disjointedness. Whether it originates from needing parenting help, partners having difficulty aligning, sibling rivalry, stressful transitions, or all of the above, I often work with the couple or entire family to introduce new ways of parenting, attachment, and effective communication.