Creating and raising a family today usually looks quite different than it did a generation ago. Over our combined 20 years of experience in this field, we have rarely met families that fit into the standard model that our parents’ generation referenced. In fact, and more importantly, we do not meet many families that want to fit into that model. These days, it’s common for both parents to work, for dads to choose to stay home, for parents to start families later in life, for families to be headed by a single parent, for families to involve a web of parents and step-parents, for nannies to become adjunct family members, and for bi-racial or same-sex parents to find themselves balancing the tasks of parenthood with the de-facto status of social activist. In this evolving culture of familyhood many parents find themselves both empowered and confused. No longer comfortable relying on the guidance of old adages, they struggle to weed through a myriad of current theories, many of them conflicting, about what makes healthy, happy children. And so, they find themselves facing the most important task of their lives with an approach that they themselves must develop and refine as they move through the process. This is a stressful endeavor for many parents, and can lead to some bumpy times for families during phases when the current approach does not seem to be working.
These are the families that come to us for help. We support parents by educating them on approaches that we believe are effective methods of dealing with key issues for infants, toddlers and young children including: sleep, cognitive and emotional development, navigating losses and transitions, separations and other common causes of anxiety, discipline, and conflict within the home. We believe that understanding is the most important tool any parent can have. As such, our approach to every issue is focused on helping parents to build a more detailed picture of their child’s psychological and emotional world in each stage of development. We also help parents to explore other areas of life that may affect, and be affected by, the work of parenting such as personal aspirations beyond parenthood, the impact of parenting on the parents’ partnership, relationships with the extended family, and social issues such as racism, socio-economic status and homophobia.
We do not subscribe to any one model of parenting or theory of psychological health. We find value in many different schools of thought but, in the end, we believe the best determinate of what is right for a family is what works for the parents and for the children. We believe families are best equipped for success when parents are well informed; when they are clear on, and comfortable with, their approach to parenting; and when they are able to accurately understand the needs of their children. We help families get to this place by offering a variety of services, which can be combined or customized to meet each family’s individual needs.
For more information on us, or any of our services, please click the corresponding links on our home page.
