Counselling for Parents and Family Carers

Counselling and psychotherapy can offer a space to pause, reflect and make sense of what you are carrying.

I work with parents, siblings and family carers supporting autistic children, children with ADHD, disabled or neurodivergent children, young people or adult children. I also work with families who are waiting for assessment, navigating diagnosis, or trying to understand needs that still feel unclear.

You do not need to have a diagnosis, a clear label or the “right” words to begin therapy. We can start with your experience as it is.

When caring feels emotionally heavy

Caring for someone with additional needs can bring deep love, meaning and connection. It can also bring exhaustion, uncertainty, grief, guilt, anger, anxiety and loneliness.

You may be managing appointments, school issues, forms, care systems, family responsibilities, relationship strain or worries about the future. You might feel that you are always advocating, organising, anticipating or holding things together.

Sometimes the emotional impact of caring is hard to name, because you are so focused on what needs to be done next.

Counselling can offer a space where your feelings, needs and experiences matter too.

How counselling can help

Counselling and psychotherapy can offer a steady space to talk openly, feel heard and begin to understand what you are carrying.

Therapy can help you:

Feel supported with what is happening in your life right now
Express and process feelings such as sadness, anger, guilt, grief or loss
Understand and soften self-criticism
Build self-esteem and reconnect with your strengths
Explore your identity beyond being a parent, carer or advocate
Process trauma or difficult experiences so you can feel more present and grounded
Find ways to calm overwhelm, anxiety or emotional exhaustion
Understand patterns in your relationships and feel more connected to the people you care about
Connect with your needs, values, boundaries and hopes for the future
Build inner resources and reduce the risk of burnout

Therapy does not have to focus only on your caring role. You may want to talk about relationships, work, family, identity, your own health concerns, past experiences, anxiety, grief or anything else that feels important.

You are welcome as a whole person, not just in relation to the people you care for.

Book a free 15-minute call

Support for parents and family carers

I support parents and family carers in many different caring situations.

This may include supporting an autistic child, a child with ADHD, a disabled or medically complex child, a young person waiting for assessment, or an adult child with ongoing needs.

You may be trying to understand your child’s needs, navigating school or SEND systems, managing daily uncertainty, or feeling the emotional weight of constantly needing to advocate.

Therapy is not about blaming you or telling you how to parent. It is a space for you — to explore what this experience brings up, how it affects you, and what support you may need.

Support for sibling carers

Caring roles do not only affect parents. Siblings and other family members can also carry worry, responsibility, pressure, guilt or grief.

You may feel caught between wanting to help and needing your own life. You may feel unseen, responsible, resentful, protective or unsure where your needs fit.

Counselling can offer a space to explore these feelings honestly and without judgement.

Support for parents of adult children

Caring does not always become easier when a child becomes an adult. For some families, the caring role continues, changes or becomes more complex over time.

You may be supporting an adult child with disability, neurodivergence, mental health difficulties, medical needs or ongoing dependence. You may be navigating boundaries, future planning, services, independence, risk, guilt or fear about what will happen next.

Therapy can help you reflect on your role, your relationship, your limits and your own emotional needs.

Individual counselling

Individual counselling gives you a private space to talk about what you are experiencing and what you need.

Sessions may focus on caring, relationships, anxiety, burnout, grief, trauma, self-worth or anything else that feels important. You do not need to keep the focus only on your caring role.

You are welcome as a whole person.

Couple and relationship therapy

Caring responsibilities can place pressure on relationships.

You may find yourselves arguing more, feeling disconnected, carrying unequal responsibilities, avoiding difficult conversations or struggling to make space for each other.

Relationship therapy can help you slow things down, understand repeating patterns, communicate more clearly and explore what each person is feeling and needing.

This is not about blame. It is about making space for the relationship and understanding what has become difficult.

A neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ welcoming space

I aim to offer a therapy space that is welcoming, inclusive and respectful of difference.

You are welcome here if you are neurodivergent, exploring whether you may be neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, or part of a family or relationship structure that has not always felt understood by others.

I will not assume that there is one “right” way to be a parent, carer, partner or family. Therapy can be a space where you do not have to mask, explain yourself perfectly, or leave important parts of who you are outside the room.

My hope is to offer a space where you can feel met with warmth, curiosity and respect.

Online and face-to-face sessions

I offer online counselling across the UK and face-to-face counselling in Congresbury, North Somerset.

Online therapy can be helpful if leaving home is difficult, if your schedule is unpredictable, or if you prefer to access support from a familiar space.

Face-to-face sessions offer a calm, private setting where you can step away from daily demands and have time for yourself.

Taking the first step

You do not have to wait until things feel unmanageable to seek support.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, anxious, isolated or unsure where to begin, you are welcome to get in touch.

The first step is a free 15-minute call. This gives us a chance to briefly talk about what you are looking for, ask any questions, and see whether working together feels right.

There is no pressure to decide straight away.