Counseling for parents of kids with special needs
You love your child with everything in you have but sometimes it just feels completely overwhelming. The scary moments from past meltdowns or medical crises haunt your dreams and fear about your child’s future keeps you awake. You’re tired from having to constantly battle for them to get the treatments or accommodations that they need. Parents of typical kids just don’t understand why you’re so on edge or so exhausted. They don’t get how hard this journey is.
Parents of kids with disabilities often struggle in the background. We work so hard to keep our children healthy and get them the help they need that our relationships and our own mental health can suffer. This hurts us on every level. The stress tears our bodies down so much that special needs moms are more likely to suffer from dementia. Our marriages fail at higher rates because it is hard to stay connected and focus on each other with everything else going on in our lives. We can end up isolated, depressed and feeling guilty for grieving the version of parenthood we dreamed about.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
At 1000 Hills, we specialize in therapy for parents of kids with special needs. You can talk with a licensed therapist who actually understands this journey.
You can get help coping with your child’s diagnosis or the day-to-day challenges it brings. We offer therapy for individuals or couples who are struggling. We also have weekly therapy groups for moms of kids with special needs to you can work through the pain with others who really understand.
At 1000 Hills, our mission is to support parents of kids with special needs. We understand the grief, the trauma, the emotional exhaustion. CLICK HERE to schedule a free consultation today.
We put together a few of the most common questions we get about counseling for parents of kids with special needs. If you don’t see the answers you’re looking for, you can email Le directly at Le@1000HillsCounseling.com or schedule a consultation so we can spend some time talking about how we can help.
Why do parents of kids with disabilities need counseling?
Parents of kids with special needs experience everyday life challenges plus an extra layer of struggle that families with neurotypical kids don’t go through. Most parents will go through grief as they come to accept their child’s diagnosis, differences, and needs. Moms especially often have extremely high stress levels from the toll of caring for high needs kids and the constant fight for services. On top of that, we often experience parenting trauma. \
Eventually, all of that pressure can result in parents feeling stuck, depressed or anxious. Lots of parents even have symptoms of PTSD like flashbacks, nightmares, or feeling constantly on edge. When that happens, life can get dark. You might feel hopeless or numb. You might struggle to keep up with everything your child or family needs from you. Maybe you force yourself to do what it takes for them but you don’t have the energy to meet your own needs.
Working with a therapist can help you cope with these challenges and find peace.
What’s different about 1000 Hills?
We aren’t just a generic counseling agency that sometimes sees parents. We were founded because Le saw first hand the way parents of kids with special needs are often overlooked and underserved. We’re passionate about getting parents the best care possible. That’s why we offer conveniant hours and the top therapies, like emotionally focused therapy for couples and EMDR. It’s also why Le trains other therapists to better serve parents.
We believe that parents should not have to suffer in the background. We are ready to join you on this journey and help you get to connection and peace.
What is grief in parents of children with special needs?
Most parents of kids with special needs will experience grief at some point, or several points, on this journey. This is completely normal. You had big dreams for your children and it’s hard to watch those change. Over time, you might go through stages of denial, bargaining, depression, anger and acceptance. You might notice on this journey that some of those stages start to get out of control or make it hard to live the life you want. That’s a good sign that it’s time to seek a therapist who understands.
What is parenting trauma?
A trauma is an experience where your body goes into survival mode. This can be because of something that happens to you, to someone you love, or in front of you. Many parents carry traumas that impact who they are and how they show love to their children. Parenting trauma is trauma that happens from parenting. You may have spent time in the NICU watching your tiny baby struggle to breathe. Maybe your child has physically attacked you or other family members. It could be that they ran in the street during a meltdown, had violent seizures or terrifying hospital stays. Whatever happened, your whole body knew that there was danger and it is still on edge, trying to keep you safe in case the danger returns.
Parenting trauma is different than many types of trauma because your child, who you adore, is the one associate with all the pain. It’s hard to hold so much love and fear at the same time.
At 1000 Hills, we use proven therapies to cope with what happened, and what could realistically happen again, so that you can find peace and be the kind of parent feel proud to be.
CLICK HERE to schedule a Free Consultation Today
