Parenting is hard. Our team of psychologists and counsellors can help you have better relationships with your kids.
The good news is that you’re not alone – we can help. Speak with a psychologist or counsellor today.
The type of relationship you build with your child is what guides them throughout their life.
Our team of qualified and experienced counsellors will work with you to develop the tools and strategies you need to foster a loving and respectful relationship with your kids.
Book an appointment that feels right for you — all our practitioners are compassionate, understanding, and here to truly listen.
In your session, you'll have the space to gently explore whatever you're experiencing, in your own time and in your way.
Together, you and your practitioner will create a personalised support plan, focused on helping you feel more grounded, balanced, and in control.
Some people find clarity in a single session, while others choose ongoing support — there’s no one-size-fits-all, only what feels right for you.
As your journey unfolds, we're here to walk beside you — helping you rediscover calm, confidence, and emotional wellbeing.
Parenting is one of the most important tasks we undertake. It doesn’t always come naturally though. Parenting generally takes practice and patience.
Being a parent brings out a range of powerful and intense emotions from exhilaration to despair. Feelings of love, happiness and pride may quickly turn to frustration, anger, hate or guilt, depending on the situation and the availability of assistance on hand. These feelings are completely normal, but can at times feel overwhelming or become challenging to manage.
Children thrive when they know what is expected of them and their day has a similar pattern to it. Children feel safe when they can predict the routine and our reactions to their behaviour and emotions. A child needs to know what the adults’ reaction will be and that it will be reasonable for their age, fair and consistent. Most parents experience a rollercoaster of feelings and experiences during early parenthood. It is essential to learn how to handle distress and feelings like anger and frustration so that you can enjoy parenting and maintain a healthy experience for your child. If you don’t feel confident to manage the daily challenges of parenting it may be helpful to talk to other parents or a professional to learn more effective ways of coping.
Young children act out their feelings through their behaviour until they are confident to communicate verbally. They do not yet have the thinking abilities to express themselves in a rational way. While their brain is still developing during infancy, young children are unable to calm themselves on their own.
Young children need adults to support and help them through their big feeling episodes and to regain a sense of calm and dignity. When a young child is being emotional, it is important that the adults caring for them respond calmly and rationally.
Expressions of big feelings or tantrums tend to occur at the age when young children do not have the ability to handle their feelings without adult help and
need co-regulation. This often occurs between the ages of 18 months and 4 years, but each child is different.
Some children won’t express themselves with big feelings at all, while others act them out frequently. As children get older, they gradually learn how to reduce their own heightened emotional state and rely less on adult help to feel calm. This occurs as the cognitive part of their brain becomes more developed.
The type of relationship you build with your child is what guides them throughout their life. Some parents may become overwhelmed with their own emotions, lash out at their child or become angry when frustrated, tired or stressed. Children learn by following the examples set by adults around them and from their experience of their own relationship with their parents. An important part of learning to control emotions and manage negative feelings in a peaceful way, to trust and respect others, and behave with care and compassion is through experiencing and seeing these behaviours.
Young children, such as those less than 12 months of age, don’t have the intellectual maturity to understand discipline of any kind. Becoming angry or physical will only frighten a young child or may even cause serious and permanent injuries. If you resort to physical discipline with your child, you are teaching them that the most acceptable way to resolve conflict is by using violence.
Parents can feel tired, unwell, stressed, frustrated and angry and so can children. Children often cannot tell us how they are feeling but instead ‘act out’ by showing their feelings through their behaviours — this is normal. When parents are under pressure themselves, it is more difficult to take the time to work out what your child is trying to tell you. Parents may often just react to the behaviour.
Most children experience challenging feelings and behaviours. Try to remember that these times can be normal phases of growing up and will probably pass.
Suggestions for handling your child’s big emotions include:
It is important to take care of your own needs and feelings too. No matter how loving and selfless, a parent can’t continue to give to their children if they receive little or no emotional nourishment themselves.
Reaching out for professional support is the best option when problems are too complex to solve on your own. We can work with you to:
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