Couples Therapy for Parents

Couples Therapy For Parents

Overview

Couples therapy for parents is often necessary for couples who have recently transitioned into parenthood. According to research, couples often become dissatisfied with their relationship within a few years of having a child. It’s no wonder, given the challenges: sleepless nights, ‘raging’ hormones, reshaping your identity, reshaping your partner’s identity, little time for long talks, intimacy, or sex. All these serve to create a divide between partners. Additional difficulties that parenting therapy can help with include coping with everyday life stressors, such as expectations of schools and society, and a child’s unique personal or academic challenges.

Furthermore, parenting often re-awakens buried unresolved issues with one’s own parent(s), accompanied by anxiety, depression, or irritability. When new parents have unresolved issues with their own parents or their own childhood, they are more likely to have marital conflict and more problematic interactions with their children.

Being a Parent Isn’t Easy

How a couple handles hard times can have lasting effects on your relationship and your children’s well-being. Research has shown that the quality of the relationship between parents plays an essential role in shaping children’s intellectual, social, and emotional development. When a couple lacks intimacy, has difficulty communicating, and cannot resolve their conflicts, the child tends to show poorer adjustment, both in school and generally. This is especially likely for children who blame themselves for their parents’ conflicts.

Treatment for Couples: Parent Behavior Therapy

At Greenwich Psychology Group, our trained clinicians focus on challenges for mothers as well as fathers. In our co parenting therapy sessions, we help parents recognize patterns from their families of origin and help them to find ways to stop repeating negative cycles of behavior from generation to generation. Treatment allows couples to understand and respond empathically to each other’s needs, deal constructively with powerful emotions, and resolve ongoing differences between partners. Couples learn to understand that their conflicts have predictable negative patterns: by recognizing these patterns as they are occurring, they can learn to interrupt and change their behaviors. Sessions revolve around forging new kinds of interactions, creating more positive patterns, and using the language of emotions, vulnerability, and empathy. Over time, these changes have cascading positive effects on your relationship and the well-being of your children.

Greenwich Psychology Group offers parent counseling in our Connecticut and New York City offices.

Have questions? Ask our experts.

Our Team

Dr. Normajean

Marriage & Family Therapist

Dr. Cefarelli is a Doctoral level Marriage and Family Therapist; the highest level of clinical and academic training. She is passionate about helping individuals and families understand their struggles and heal in order to form stronger connections within themselves and with others.

Learn More

Sephora Baron

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

Sephora Baron is a licensed clinician in both New York and Connecticut. She grew up in New York City and attended a private day school and college preparatory high school. She received her undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science and Human Services from Bellevue University.

Learn More

Take the GPG Symptom Checker

At Greenwich Psychology Group, our symptom checker helps clients track their symptoms of depression or anxiety. Taking the assessment doesn't provide a formal diagnosis, but it can help you determine what next steps you may need to take. The evaluation uses a series of questions to review the feelings and symptoms you've experienced over the past two weeks. The results will help you distinguish if professional help is the best next step.

Begin