The Weight of Wanting to Get It Right
Parenting Therapy in NYC
Parenting therapy, online across New York State, for parents of infants, teenagers, and adult children carrying the pressure of raising people well.
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Parenting Therapy for Every Stage of Raising a Child
The tasks of parenting change dramatically - an infant asks something different of you than a toddler, an adolescent, an adult child. The themes, though, stay remarkably similar. We want our children to be safe, happy, and thriving. And we struggle, at every stage, with knowing the best ways to support them in that.
Add our own aspirations, and the cultural standards we measure ourselves against, and parenting can come to feel like a mountain of pressure - one under which it gets hard to see how to put one foot in front of the other. Therapy is a place to set the weight down long enough to find your footing again.
When Worry Clouds Your Best Instincts
A central challenge of parenting, at every age, is trust: trusting that our kids have the inner compass they need, and trusting the world to bring them the lessons and opportunities they need. When that trust wavers - and it wavers for every parent - what rushes in is a particular kind of anxiety, one that can cloud our own best instincts.
The work here is understanding what the worry is guarding, loosening its grip, and returning to instincts that were sound all along. You leave with a steadier place to parent from, and the strategies that do emerge land better on that base.
What Parenting Therapy Helps With
Parents bring every stage of the work here, online from anywhere in New York State.
- Parental anxiety - worry that runs ahead of the evidence and will not settle
- Parental burnout - depleted, resentful, and guilty about both
- The pressure of impossible standards, cultural and self-imposed
- New parenthood, and the identity shift that comes with it
- Parenting an adolescent through distance, risk, and closed doors
- The changing relationship with an adult child
- Disagreements with a partner about how to parent
- Patterns from your own childhood repeating in your parenting
How I Work as a Parenting Therapist
I am Avi Steinhardt, a licensed clinical social worker. I have been working with parents of children of all ages for 20 years, and I am a parent myself. I consider it a particular privilege and passion to help you be more of the parent that you want to be, and to keep your relationship with your child a trusting and positive one. The approach draws on Gestalt therapy and relational psychodynamic work - attentive to the parent you had, the parent you are, and the space between.
Every session is held online, anywhere in New York State.
You can read more about Avi and this practice, or explore family therapy, where the same patterns are worked from the family's side.
Common Questions
Is parenting therapy for me or for my child?
Do you work with parents of adult children?
Is this parent coaching?
Do you offer parenting therapy online?
Can both parents come?
Do you take insurance?
Begin Parenting Therapy
I begin with a free 15-minute consultation - a short conversation about what parenting is asking of you right now, and whether this work feels right.
Limited availability. Online, anywhere in New York State.
Request a Free ConsultationRequest a Free Consultation
The first 15-minute consultation is free. You don't need the words ready - share a little about what's bringing you here, and I'll be in touch personally.
In Their Words
My husband and I found Avi when we were in a dark place. Avi was thoughtful, patient with us - and funny!
My husband and I found Avi when we were in a dark place. Avi was thoughtful, patient with us - and funny! We didn't know what we were looking for, but we found a fellow artist. He's so soulful, and he has this magical ability to help you unwind yourself. For that, we're grateful. We've asked him to work with our teenagers, family members, even friends. He's truly singular.
Since working with Avi, I've grown into the person I want to be - more self-aware, confident, and in touch with my needs.
Since working with Avi, I've grown into the person I want to be - more self-aware, confident, and in touch with my needs. He's truly exceptional, and working with him has been a gift!
Avi Steinhardt was an amazing counselor for myself and my family. His kind understanding, and knowledge helped me.
Avi Steinhardt was an amazing counselor for myself and my family. His kind understanding, and knowledge helped me get through a very stressful part of my life, being a single mom.
When I speak with Avi, I feel more than heard. His patience has allowed that enlightenment to occur organically.
When I speak with Avi, I feel more than heard. His patience has allowed that enlightenment to occur organically, and though the positive impact on my life has been nothing short of massive, the process has always felt simple, human, and caring.
Avi has helped us better understand ourselves and each other, which has had a meaningful impact on our relationship.
We came to Avi because we felt trapped in arguments that would end with neither of us feeling understood. Avi has helped us better understand ourselves and each other, which has had a meaningful impact on the quality of our relationship. We feel more trusting and appreciative of one another and experience less escalation during times of conflict.