Dyadic Psychotherapy for Caregivers of Babies/Toddlers

Caregiving is not easy, and problems can arise.

During the first five years of a child’s life, the child is almost entirely dependent on adults for their care and survival. Therefore, an infant’s or toddler’s functioning and well-being become intrinsically intertwined with the caregiver’s mental health.

If a caregiver has unprocessed early childhood trauma, the experiences of that trauma could come out in the relationship between child and parent. Difficulties such as relating, attaching, or understanding what the child is asking for in this early stage of parenthood can make a parent feel overwhelmed, angry, depressed, and “like a bad parent.”

Those difficulties can feel shaming, painful, frustrating, and “like this should not happen.”

Dyadic therapy helps bring the caregiver and infant or toddler together.

Working with a trained dyadic therapist, such as myself, provides a safe and nonjudgmental space to explore what might be coming up. We will work together to ease the difficulties and create more connective experiences in our sessions with your child.

I cannot tell you what to do because there is no right way to be a parent. I am here to invite and support you in striving to be your best parent.

My goal is to help you discover more about yourself and how it shows up in the relationship with your child.

Through our work, you will feel more confident and comfortable with your role as a caregiver, and in turn, your relationship with your child will feel better.

Here are some reasons why Dyadic Therapy might be right for you.

There are many reasons you might benefit from working dyadically with your child. Some of the reasons are because adults reflect on their childhood now that they are the parent. Alternatively, you may have a fussy or colicky baby who is hard to soothe.

Perhaps you are having difficulty connecting or bonding to your baby/toddler. You may be experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety, or you and your child experienced a traumatic event together.

Your family is changing, or other transitions in your life are beginning to affect your child’s behaviors. You may have an infant/toddler with special needs, or you have multiples /twins and want more support than a mother’s group can provide.

These are just a few examples of what might make you a good fit for dyadic therapy.

What about caregivers who are not the parent?

If you are a primary or one of the principal caregivers for children ages 0-5, Dyadic Therapy applies to you, too!

Babies do not discriminate who their loved ones are; they love you unconditionally, and you deserve the support and guidance to be the best caregiver you can be.

The work we do together can be meaningful and fundamentally shape the relationship you have with your child for the rest of your life.

Whether parent or caregiver, Dyadic Therapy can help.

Please don’t feel limited by the examples above; if you need a form of help not mentioned above, please call me at (510) 600-3734 for a 15-minute consultation to see if I can be helpful to you.