Parenting Therapy in NC| Online Therapy for Parents
Online parenting therapy for overwhelmed parents in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and throughout North Carolina.
Therapy for Stressed Parents
Parenting can be overwhelming, especially when your child's needs, behavior, or emotions leave you feeling stressed, anxious, burned out, or unsure what to do next. Parenting therapy can provide a place to understand your own triggers, develop practical parenting strategies, and learn how to respond to your child with greater calm and confidence.
I offer online therapy throughout North Carolina, with my practice being located in Winston-Salem. I work with parents who feel overwhelmed, anxious, and are struggling with the job of raising a kid. My clients are often navigating parental burnout, toddler behavior, parenting anxiety, frequent yelling, big emotions, anxious children, new parenthood, and stressful family or medical circumstances. All of my clients are learning to take of themselves while caring for a child.
You don’t have to keep white-knuckling your way through parenting. With the right support, you can learn how to manage stress, respond instead of react, and feel more calm, confident, and connected in your role as a parent.
Therapy for Parents who Yell, Snap, and Feel too Reactive
The moment is finally here. You’re a parent! Hooray! But, now that you’re a parent, you’re realizing this job is a lot harder than you thought. You want to help your child, but you aren’t sure how. Raising a child into a good human is a lot of work!
As our child starts to age, we will see a natural personality start to emerge. Some children have temperaments that are easier to parent than others. I view parenting similarly to gardening. Our job as a metaphorical gardener is to help our little plants thrive. If we are being honest, some plants are easier to keep alive than others, but it’s our job to learn what this plant needs to survive and thrive. That’s where therapy can come in. Therapy can help you identify what your “plant” needs. If the environment isn’t right, we can work together to figure out what changes we need to make to help your little plant shift from surviving to thriving.
Online Therapy for Parents Who Want to Respond, Not React
You’ve wanted to be a parent for so long, and it is finally here. Yet, it’s not exactly what you thought it would be. Lately, you’ve found yourself feeling more keyed-up and on edge. You’re yelling at your child over every little thing. Life would be so much easier if they would listen! When our nervous system is activated, we tend to respond by either “fighting,” “flying,” or “freezing.” When we yell at our kids, our “fight system” is activated. Through our work in therapy, we can identify your triggers, learn to best identify when we are feeling overwhelmed proactively, and respond in a different way.
I am a licensed therapist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina who provides online support to parents throughout the state of North Carolina. I often provide online support to moms and dads who are located throughout the Triad and help them adjust to parenthood, identify past “baggage” keeping us from being the best parent, and learn new skills to parenting. The job of being a parent is hard work! And, you don’t have to do this work alone. I am a real life mom and therapist who can walk alongside you during this journey. You don’t have to do this alone!
Online Parenting Support in North Carolina
Let’s be honest. We’ve all lost our marbles on our kids before. Our kids, God love them, know how to push our buttons unlike anyone else in our lives. Our job as parents is to learn how to emotionally regulate ourselves, respond in a healthy manner, and admit when we’ve messed up. “Raising Good Humans” by Dr. Pressman highlights the “5 Rs of Parenting: Relationship, Reflection, Regulation, Rules, and Repair.” In parenting, we should try to focus on the following:
Relationship - Do we have a good relationship with our child, resulting in our child feeling safe, secure, and attached.
Reflection - To be a good parent, we should look at how our past impacts our parenting style today. How were we parented? Is that parenting style showing up today?
Regulation - Before we can parent our child, we need to regulate our own nervous system. This allows us to not respond out of an overactive nervous system, rather it is rooted in calm and effective parenting.
Rules - Do you have clear and consistent rules that your child can follow? As a parent, we should strive to establish clear and consistent rules that our child can respond to.
Repair - As a parent, we are going to get mad at our kid. At times, we might yell or feel out of control. It happens to the best of us. In those moments, we need to apologize to our kid and focus on reconnecting.
As a licensed therapist and real life mama, our work will likely focus on cultivating “the 5 Rs.” Do you have a strong relationships, with consistent rules, that allows us to parent our child. This is step one, without that, having a child listen will be challenging. After we develop a good foundation, we will work on identifying our triggers and learning to regulate our nervous system, so we can respond appropriately. In my opinion, the most important skill you can have is learning to apologize to your child and reconnect following an angry outburst. Repair is one of the most important skills we have in our tool kit. If these skills do not come naturally to you, therapy can be a great place learn new skills and a new way of responding under stress. At Tranquil Talk Therapy, all email enquiries are responded to within 24-hours and appointments are usually scheduled within a week. Reach out today for support.
Parenting Problems I Help With
Therapy for Parents with Newborns in the Triad
Having a baby is one of the best AND hardest things you’ve ever done. You knew it was going to be hard, but you didn’t realize that it was going to be this hard. Having a child can be a wonderful blessing, but it also requires you to put your needs on the back burner, often. Between the sleepless nights, the constant crying, and endless diapers, it’s hard to find time for yourself and stay sane during the process. And, that’s just during your maternity or paternity leave. Toss in trying to navigate parenthood and the return to work, and you might just feel like you’re trying to stay afloat.
I provide online therapy to new parents in North Carolina who are trying to adjust to the day-to-day stress of having a baby. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, I often work with new mothers and fathers located throughout the Triad. The transition to parenthood can bring up big feelings. It can impact your relationship with your partner, and it’s easy to lose yourself in the process. Working with a licensed therapist can help you process this transition, provide much needed emotional support, and learn better ways to take care of your child. As a psychologist with over a decade of clinical experience and a mom in real life, I can understand your struggles, provide much needed support, and help facilitate longstanding change.
Therapy for Parents of Toddlers in North Carolina
You did it! You survived the newborn and baby phase! The tiny human you’ve made is now a toddler and is walking around, ensuing chaos, and is into everything. You’ve transitioned from breast feeding or bottle feeding, and you are now trying to get your child to eat healthy foods to keep them alive. You thought it would be easier once you passed the baby phase, but now you are having to navigate naptime and bedtime schedules, feeding concerns, and daily meltdowns. You may find yourself falling into bad parenting patterns where you find yourself yelling or shutting down. You want to be a good parent but you’re finding your nervous system over-stimulated, resulting responding to your child in less than ideal ways. You know that you need support and to learn new ways of parenting your child.
Located in Winston-Salem, NC, I provide online support to parents throughout North Carolina who are navigating the toddler phase. Many of my clients live in the Triad and surrounding rural areas, such as King, Mount-Airy, Lexington, Mocksville, Kernersville, Wilkesboro, and Boone. I am a real life mom who has gone through the toddler transition, and a psychologist with over a decade of clinical experience. In our work, we will learn new ways to parent your child, identify your triggers that make us explode at our kids, and have a safe-space to have support during the process.
Therapy for Parents of Children with Cancer
When your child is diagnosed with cancer your world changes over night. All of the sudden your world shifts from the day-to-day stresses of “normal” parenting to transporting your child to-and-from medical appointments. Instead of googling questions, such as, “How to get my child to sleep through the night,” you find yourself asking the bigger questions, such as “How likely is my child to survive cancer?” You find yourself feeling scared, alone, and uncertain of where to turn. Your family and friends might reach out to provide support, but the truth is they have no understanding of how difficult this is for you.
A diagnosis of cancer is a life changing diagnosis for you, your child, and your family system. As a psychologist in Winston-Salem, I have spent over a decade working with patients, family members, and caregivers of cancer survivors. I have walked alongside family members throughout the initial diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and end-of-life. While working at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (AHWFB) Comprehensive Cancer Center in Winston-Salem, NC, I witnessed the good and ugly of cancer.
In my clinical practice, I have worked with clients throughout the state of North Carolina, but I often work with clients in the Triad and surrounding areas, such as Mount Airy, Boone, Wilkesboro, Kernersville, Clemmons, and Lexington. Often times, I work with parents with children who are being treated at Brenner’s Children’s Hospital at AHWFB located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. No matter where you are in your child’s treatment journey, I can walk alongside you, provide support, and help you navigate these tumultuous waters.
Therapy for Parents After a Child’s Medical Diagnosis or Hospitalization
When your child experiences an unexpected health event, including hospitalization or surgery, it can rock a parents’ world. You go from managing the day-to-day routines of your child’s life to abruptly being admitted to the hospital and having to advocate for your child. This may be the first time you’ve ever had to advocate for your child and navigate this uncertainty. The uncertainty of the situation can feel scary and overwhelming. In the moment, you may feel uncertain if your child will survive the medical event. Following the medical event, you may continue to feel anxious and worried something will happen to your child. Post-discharge, you may find it difficult to relax. You may find yourself constantly checking on your child, worrying about new symptoms, and feeling increasingly anxious that your child will become sick again.
As a psychologist serving the Triad, I provide online therapy to parents and caregivers who are coping with the emotional aftermath of a child’s medical event. Although located in Winston-Salem, NC, I am a licensed therapist who provides support throughout North Carolina. You are a good parent who has done everything possible to care for their child. Now, it’s time to take care of yourself. With convenient online appointments, you can schedule an appointment to process this tragedy in a supportive and caring space. Together, we will work to manage this anxiety, learn coping skills, and process the unexpected medical event together.
Therapy for Parents of Anxious Children
When your child is struggling, it can be difficult to focus on work, school, or even maintaining a social life. You find yourself having to engage in the ongoing emotional labor of regulating your child, avoiding triggers that might result in a melt down, and constant reassurance seeking. You want your child to thrive, but they aren’t thriving. Right now, every day is a struggle. Your life is full of resistance, tantrums, and the job of emotionally regulating your child. Your child might avoid going to school, being left with loved ones, or even experience the constant night-time battles. If this sounds like you, know that you’re not alone.
I am a licensed therapist who provides online support to parents who are learning to parent an anxious child. As a real life mama to an anxious child, I get it. It can be really hard and challenging. Together, we will learn about the origin of anxiety, how that might show up with your child, identify your child’s anxious triggers, and learn how we might unintentionally be responding in a way that maintains and reinforces your child’s anxious behaviors. In our work, you will receive the emotional support and understanding you’ve not received from family and friends. We will work together to support your child in more healthy ways that will lead to long term change. Virtual therapy is available to parents throughout North Carolina, including Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and the surrounding rural areas.
Parenting FAQs
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Even though we live in a time where we are more connected than ever (e.g., phones and internet), we are more distant from our support system and disconnected from our communities than any other time in history.
Modern day parenting is hard because:
We lack the proverbial "village to raise a child.” Many children have moved away from their support system.
We have our own “emotional baggage” we bring into the parent-child relationship
There’s no “clocking out” from being a parent
You often have to put the needs of your child before your own
It can be monotonous (the kid needs the same routine every day)
Conflicting information - there are so many parenting approaches out there
Loss of identity and autonomy
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Sometimes, it feels like the deck is stacked against you, and it might be. The “second shift” is a sociological concept where mother’s inherit an extra 20+ hours of unpaid labor following engaging in paid labor, whereas their male counterparts do not (Hochschild & Machung, 2012). This often results in mothers feeling tired, overwhelmed, and burned out. One can argue, the system isn’t designed for working moms.
Motherhood feels hard because:
The average mother inherits 20-40 unpaid hours of work following the birth of their first child. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).
Loss of free time
Mothers are often primarily responsible for the unpaid domestic work of the home.
Mothers are usually responsible for the mental load of planning and executing tasks.
The public school schedule doesn’t provide full-time childcare
Having to do the majority of the caregiving alone
Mothers are, often, primarily responsible for caring for the children AND are trying to manage a part- to full-time career. This results in feelings of burnout, exhaustion, and impacts their relationship with their spouse and children.
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Fatherhood can often feel difficult in different ways. Following the birth of a child, men often engage in more paid labor outside the home compared to their female partners; and, men often engage in less unpaid labor around the home (Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to Do About it, 2022). This shift has a direct implication on your marriage and your ability to bond with your child.
Fatherhood is difficult because
Employers are less understanding of taking paid-time off for childcare needs
A shift in identity - it’s no longer just you and your partner
Loss of freedom - you have less time to engage in hobbies and spend with friends
You’re asked to carry an emotional load you’ve never trained for (how the heck do I help my dysregulated child)
Pressure to be the provider, resulting in less time with your kids
Shift in your relationship
Invisible loneliness - there are fewer dad groups compared to moms groups
It brings up things from your own childhood
Fatherhood can be challenging because emotional support often centralizes around the mother. Most towns have many “mommy and me” groups, where as it can be challenging to find a place for dads to connect. The emotional experience of fathers is often often overshadowed by the moms. However, roughly 10% of dads will experience postpartum depression and anxiety (Garaey, 2024), demonstrating the importance of paternal mental health support.
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Being a parent is tough. We all enter parenthood with our own preconceived ideas of how we are going to do the job of parenting. We also have our own baggage from our childhood. And our kids, God love them, they just know how to push our buttons.
Talking with a therapist can help in the following ways:
Helps identify “blind spots”
Helps find ways to better align with our kids
It can encourage us to build our community
Identify our values and value congruent action
Find practical solutions to our problems
Identify and learn new ways to parent
Provide an outlet for emotional support
You don’t have to do this alone. At Tranquil Talk Therapy, all emails are responded to within 24-hours, with appointments often being scheduled within the week. Finding a therapist shouldn’t be hard. Reach out today!
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There’s no one size fits all answer for if you need therapy. Generally speaking, you will likely experience the following symptoms:
You feel constantly overwhelmed and burned out
You find yourself feeling irritable and are yelling and snapping more than you’d like
You constantly worry about your child’s future
Feeling numb or without joy
Feeling triggered
Struggling with guilt and shame
Feeling isolated
Feel stuck
Online parenting counseling in North Carolina can provide a space for support, learning new skills, or processing past experiences that might be keeping you from being the best parent you can be. At Tranquil Talk Therapy, we will file with insurance, making it easy and affordable to access therapy.
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There are several evidence based treatments for parents that include the following:
-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
-Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
-Mindfulness
-Parent Management Therapy
As a licensed therapist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, I provide evidence based treatment to my clients. With convenient online scheduling, most clients are scheduled within a week, and all email inquiries are responded to within 24-hours.
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There are so many parenting books out there. My favorite books to recommend are those grounded in research and provide concrete parenting solutions. I recommend all parents read the following:
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy
No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson
1-2-3 Magic by by Thomas Phelan
The 5 Principles of Parenting by Dr. Aliza Pressman
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There are so many amazing books out there for moms to read. Personally, my favorite books focus on normalizing the challenges surrounding motherhood, and how motherhood can result in a loss of personal identity and impact your marriage. If you are struggling with carrying too much of the mental load, feel resentful of your kids, or spouse, then I recommend reading the following books:
All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior
How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn
Fair Play: A Game Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do by Eve Rodsky
Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sara Petersen
Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood by Jessica Grose
The Manager Mom Epidemic: How Moms Got Stuck Doing Everything for Their Families and What They Can Do About It by Thomas Phelan
Online Therapy for Parents
When selecting a therapist, you want might want someone who has a shared lived experience and the clinical training to help you navigate your concerns. In my personal life, I’ve been a stay-at-home mom, working mom, and have parented an anxious child. I get the challenges of navigating motherhood, working life, and parenting tiny humans.
Professionally, my practice is located in Winston-Salem and I am a licensed therapist who provides services to clients located in North Carolina. I often work with clients who are located in the Triad, including Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. With a background in rural mental health, I often work with clients in the surrounding areas, including Lexington, Boone, Elkin, Statesville, Mount Airy, Yadkinville, Kernersville, Clemmons, and Lewisville.
At Tranquil Talk Therapy, I regularly work with parents who are struggling with parenthood and are learning to navigate their new normal. Our work may focus on navigating the challenges, identifying old parenting patterns, learning new parenting tools, and becoming the parent you desire.
I get it. Being a parent is hard work and even harder if you aspire to raise your kiddo to be a good human.
Providing Affordable Therapy
I get it. You want support, but you also don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for help. Parenting therapy may be covered by your health insurance.
I am in-network with the following insurances:
Aetna
Aetna State Health Plan (SHP)
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Meritain Health/Aetna
Medcost
At Tranquil Talk Therapy, I have independent contracts with each insurance company. I am not contracted through large online virtual companies as a W-2 worker. In plain language, this means that your information is safe with me. No one will have access to our notes except me, with exception of an insurance note audit or a subpoena from the court. This is an extra step I’ve taken to protect client information.
For most clients, co-payments range from $0-$30, unless they have the deductible plan. If you are unsure if your plans provides coverage, reach out today, and I will work to help you better understand your options.
Fast Access to Therapy
Scheduling with a psychologist shouldn’t be hard. All email inquiries will be responded to within 24-hours. At Tranquil Talk Therapy, there is no waitlist. Clients are usually scheduled in the same-week for therapy appointments to determined if we are a good fit. If we’re not a good fit, I’ll happily provide a referral to one of my colleagues with openings.
If you are tired of walking alone on this journey, reach out for confidential online therapy for parenting support in North Carolina. Get support for parental burnout, stress, and compassion fatigue. Flexible scheduling available.
Schedule a Confidential Consultation for Parenting Support in North Carolina and take the first step toward feeling less overwhelmed and more like yourself again.
Why Choose Tranquil Talk Therapy for online parenting therapy?
I get it. Choosing a therapist can be intimidating. In today’s market, we are oversaturated with advertisements from online therapy platforms, with many of their therapists having limited clinical experience.
I am a licensed therapist with over a decade of direct clinical experience. I am not a new graduate who is straight out of school, and I’m also not a clinician who has just entered the field following another career. I am someone who loves psychology and has devoted her entire academic and professional career to the study of psychology. I am an independently licensed psychological associate who has countless clinical hours and has been licensed for 10-years.
I am also a real life mom who gets it. Being a parent is hard work, and learning to navigate these transitions can be challenging. Having someone who just “gets it” can sometimes be nice. In our work, you’ll have a non-judgmental space to talk about your concerns with someone who gets it.
At Tranquil Talk Therapy, I am also in-network with several insurances, including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Meritain Health, and Medcost. I will personally look at your benefits and file the claims, ensuring you can use your health insurance. At Tranquil Talk Therapy, I do not partner with online virtual therapy platforms or use AI in my practice, resulting in an increased layer of confidentiality.
You don’t have to do this alone. Support is essential for all parents. If you want to see if we are a good fit, please reach out. I respond to all emails within 24-hours and try to schedule clients within the week. If we meet and determine that we aren’t a good match, I will refer you to one of my amazing colleagues who can help you. Reach out today to finally get the support you deserve.
Reach out today to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards becoming the parent you want to be.