Making Space Psychotherapy | Hamilton • Burlington • Online

Parenting Therapy

Parenting isn’t easy ... and it’s okay to admit that. 💛

Parenting can be beautiful, messy, and deeply emotional all at once. It brings out love and joy, but also exhaustion, guilt, and the resurfacing of old wounds.

You may find yourself reacting in ways you don’t fully understand: snapping when you wish you hadn’t, withdrawing when you meant to connect, or feeling flooded by emotions that seem bigger than the moment.

At Making Space Psychotherapy we understand that parenting does not happen in a vacuum. It is shaped by your experiences — especially your own attachment history, trauma, and nervous system patterns. That’s why our therapy for parents is trauma-informed, attachment-based, and grounded in compassion for the parts of you that are trying so hard to do right by your family.

What Does Trauma-Informed Parenting Therapy Mean?

A trauma-informed approach recognizes that stress, shame, and emotional triggers often have deeper roots.

We explore those layers safely and gently, without blame or judgment.

You will have the space to:

• Understand how your past experiences affect your reactions as a parent

• Learn how to regulate your nervous system and respond rather than react

• Build emotional safety within your family

• Strengthen your connection with your child or co-parent

• Explore patterns like people-pleasing, perfectionism, or emotional shutdown that may have protective origins

We draw on evidence-based modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Somatic and Polyvagal-informed approaches, and EMDR to support deep and sustainable healing — not just “parenting tips.”

Parenting Through the Lens of Attachment

Parenting through an attachment lens means understanding that your connection with your child shapes how they feel safe, seen, and soothed in the world. When you explore your own attachment history in therapy, you begin to recognize how early experiences influence the ways you connect now — whether that’s being overprotective, emotionally distant, or striving to be “the perfect parent.” Together, we’ll explore these patterns gently, helping you cultivate secure attachment within yourself so you can offer the same sense of stability and trust to your child.

Parenting can bring forward many different parts of ourselves — the inner critic that worries about “getting it right,” the protector that tries to keep everyone safe, and the wounded child who still longs for comfort or validation. We create a compassionate environment to explore these parts, helping you move from self-judgment toward curiosity and care.

When as parents you learn to meet your own internal experience with acceptance and understanding you naturally begin to parent from a place of attunement rather than reaction. This creates more emotional room — more space — for connection, calm, and authenticity within the family system. Over time, this deepened awareness not only strengthens your relationship with your child but also nurtures your own healing and growth as a person.

When to Consider Therapy for Parents

You don’t need a crisis to reach out.

Many parents seek support when they notice:

• Feeling easily triggered by your child’s emotions

• Overwhelm, irritability, or burnout

• Cycles of guilt or self-criticism

• Conflict with a co-parent or partner

• Worry about repeating family patterns

• Challenges parenting after trauma, loss, or postpartum changes

Therapy offers a place to slow down, reflect, and re-connect with your values as a parent — not from pressure, but from presence.

A Space to Heal While You Parent

At Making Space Psychotherapy, we believe healing and parenting can happen side-by-side. You don’t have to wait until “things calm down” to begin working on yourself. We help you build self-compassion, nervous system awareness, and emotional resilience so that you can feel more grounded and connected — both as a parent and as a person.

Whether you’re in Hamilton, Burlington, or connecting online across Ontario, our trauma-informed therapists are here to walk with you as you nurture both your child’s growth and your own healing journey.

Begin Therapy for Parents

It’s never too late to parent differently — or to care for the parts of you that still need parenting.

👉 Get matched with a therapist
who understands trauma, attachment, and the complexity of raising humans while healing yourself.

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