No. 1Family & Parenting
What Parenting Support in Omaha Looks Like With Me
Parenting sessions with me are for the grown-ups. You come in on your own or with your partner, and we look at what’s happening at home with fresh eyes. We talk about the specific moments that go sideways: the cereal-aisle meltdown, the homework standoff, the slammed bedroom door. Then we work out what to do differently next time.
I’m an interactive therapist, so you won’t be talking into silence. I’ll ask questions, share what I notice and give you practical feedback you can use that same evening. Think of it less like a lecture and more like a strategy session with someone who has heard a lot of family stories and isn’t shocked by any of them.
A good deal of what we do borrows from cognitive-behavioral therapy. We look at the thoughts that fuel your reactions (“He’s doing this on purpose,” “I’m failing at this”) and test whether they hold up. When your thinking gets a little more accurate, your tone usually gets a little calmer, and kids pick up on that faster than you’d expect.
No. 2Family & Parenting
Getting on the Same Page With Your Partner
A lot of parenting conflict isn’t really between parent and child. It’s between the two adults who are supposed to be running the show. One of you is the softie, one of you is the drill sergeant, and every time a rule gets broken you end up arguing with each other while the kids quietly slip out of the room.
Kids are brilliant at finding the gap between two parents. Our job is to close it. We’ll sort out which rules matter most to each of you, where you can bend, and how to back each other up in the moment even when you’d have handled it differently. You don’t have to agree on everything. You do have to stop undercutting each other in front of the kids.
If the parenting arguments turn out to be a symptom of bigger trouble in the marriage, I’ll say so. Sometimes the most helpful thing for your children is couples work, and I’d rather tell you that than spend months polishing bedtime routines while the real issue sits untouched.
- Agreeing on three or four non-negotiable house rules
- Scripts for backing each other up when you disagree
- Talking about discipline away from the kids, not in front of them
- A plan for the hardest hour of the day in your house
“You don’t need to be a perfect parent. You need a plan for the hard moments and a way back when you blow it.”
No. 3Family & Parenting
Big Feelings, Little People and Your Own Temper
Small children have big feelings and almost no equipment for handling them. A three-year-old who throws a shoe isn’t plotting against you. Their system is overloaded and they need help settling. That’s easy to know in theory and hard to remember when you’re running on four hours of sleep and someone just dumped juice on the couch.
So a fair chunk of parenting support is actually about you. We’ll look at what sets you off, what your own parents modeled, and what happens in your body right before you snap. I use simple mindfulness tools here, nothing mystical, just ways to buy yourself three seconds of pause. Three seconds is often the difference between a reaction you regret and a response you’re proud of.
We also work on repair. Every parent loses it sometimes. What matters is coming back afterward, owning your part and reconnecting. Kids who see that learn something valuable about how relationships work.
No. 4Family & Parenting
A Group for Omaha Moms of Little Ones
If you’re a mom with kids under five, you might also like my group, The Mommy’s. It meets once a month on Thursday mornings at my West Omaha office, and it’s a room full of women who know exactly what it’s like to be touched-out and over-tired. We talk about stress, discipline, in-laws, self-esteem, toddlers and taking care of yourself. There’s usually some laughing and sometimes some crying. You’ll find the details on my Groups page.
Dads and husbands have a monthly Thursday evening group of their own, Happy Wife, Happy Life. Neither group replaces individual or couples work when things are really hard at home, but plenty of parents find a monthly breather helps them keep their sense of humor.
