Parenting is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. Most parents assume this responsibility based on what they have learned from their own parents and their own experience as children. As parents, we do our best to provide for our families to create healthy and supportive environment; and most of the time to do better jobs than our own parents.
The challenges in rearing children may be especially difficult when our own childhood were scarred by painful experiences. The high expectation we may create for ourselves to be the perfect parents and to make life different for our children may cause us intense pressure leaving us with feelings such as frustration, anger, irritability, guilt, inadequacy, powerlessness, exhaustion, fear, anxiety and depression. At times, our painful childhood experiences may be triggered by our interactions with our children and loved ones and we may respond irrationally without being aware of the underlying cause. Our own childhood wounds may prevent us from being the parents we want to be, especially when we are dealing with our children’s difficult behaviors.
Parenting can still be challenging for parents who did not have painful childhood experiences. Difficult and severe behaviors exhibited by children may cause stress in the family. Especially in cases where the behaviors which may be exhibited by children and adolescents who have been exposed to or have experienced violence and have been maltreated or abused, parents or caregivers may be overwhelmed, frustrated and hopeless when well meaning techniques are used to eliminate those behaviors but with no success.
HEALING IS POSSIBLE FOR ALL FAMILIES
NBTC offers a relationship-based approach to treatment which is a parent-child therapy with the goal of restoring safety, trust and reciprocity in the parent-child relationship.
In addition, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treatment, which is a model designed to assist children, adolescents, and their parents in the aftermath of traumatic experiences, is offered to address symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. A grief focused component (Childhood Traumatic Grief) is used for those who experienced both unresolved grief and PTSD symptoms.
Parenting Groups are offered with the goal to help families create environments that are conducive to developing strong parent-child relationships by shifting from stress, anger, frustration and hopelessness into a place of understanding, compassion, peace, and love.