Parenting and Child Developmental Issues

Raising a human being can be a daunting task. Today's parents know that what they do and what they say during the two decades of raising a child really matters. Although they cannot control all the factors involved in human development such as birth order, traumatic events and school experiences, parents know that they will likely have more impact on their child than any other person in that child's life. Most often, parents want that impact to be positive. However, parents have limitations.

Sometimes their own childhood experiences have left them with deficient models of parenting and their own physical or emotional health challenges can make parenting more difficult. Sometimes parents are simply facing issues with their child that they do not know how to handle such as a child who refuses to be toilet trained, a kid who gets bullied at school, a son or daughter who wants to drop out of college before graduating. There are many different types of questions and concerns parents will have to face. In many cases parents need someone to turn to for guidance and support.

Psychotherapy and counselling can help parents in many different ways. Indeed, so many issues arise in parenting that most parents do struggle at one time or another. Most psychotherapeutic models and treatments can provide some level of stress relief. However, some parents need more than the opportunity to get something off their chest. They actually need information, guidance, and/or proven parenting strategies. In this case, professionals who specialize in parenting and/or developmental psychology may be able to provide the best help. Through psychoeducation, they can better understand a child's developmental stages and the unique character of each individual child. Issues of the parents' own attachment and sense of security will be explored in order to help them tune in better to the attachment needs of their children. Cognitive methods of intervention will also be applied to challenge self-defeating thoughts about their own parenting skills and enable a more positive, pro-active and energetic approach.