When I’m asked what my job is, I’m initially hesitant to share that I’m a psychologist. Reactions vary widely – from wariness that I’m about to psychoanalyze someone to excitement that I might be able to answer all parenting-related questions. Or, the assumption that because I’m a psychologist, my kids must always be on their best behavior. Alas, none of that is true. I’m not a big advocate of psychoanalysis, I certainly don’t have all the answers to parenting, and my kids sometimes talk back, yell, and do all the things that kids do (and adults too, actually). After having spent years in graduate school, followed by years of practicing and reading a lot of parenting and child development books, I’ve come to the conclusion that we need to approach therapy a little differently.

So, how is my approach different? I figure out what’s going well and how adults can help kids build confidence and independence. I work with parents to help them try and figure out what’s actually “worth it” to stress about, not based on my own values, but on theirs. My ultimate goal is to give parents a little of their sanity back (not all unfortunately, this is 2025 after all), and to help them help their kids feel more confident and ready to tackle life’s challenges.