Parenting support from experienced psychologists in Melbourne’s West
Parenting stress and overwhelm
Our focus is on supporting the parent.
At Westside Psych, we understand that parenting in the modern world is hard. We feel overwhelmed when demands are high and clarity is low. This is parenting in a nutshell; a lot is asked of us, and it’s not always clear how we are going to make it all work.
As Georgie Dent recently highlighted in her National Press Club address, modern parents are juggling work, childcare, finances, relationships and an enormous mental load. Sometimes the problem isn't that you're not coping well enough. There may simply be too much to carry.
You don’t have to struggle alone
You can love being a parent and still feel overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted or like you've lost yourself along the way.
At Westside Psych, we support parents with:
stress, anxiety and burnout
perinatal mental health and adjustment to parenthood
work and family pressures
relationship difficulties
parenting a neurodivergent child
navigating your own neurodivergence as a parent
At Westside Psych, we think the parents of the inner-west of Melbourne deserve access to help. Whether you are Footscray, Braybrook, Sunshine, Seddon, Yarraville, Williamstown or feel an affinity with the West: Our focus is on supporting the parent.
Our psychologists have experience working with parents and in perinatal mental health, providing evidence-based and neuroaffirming psychological support.
You don't need to wait until you're at breaking point to seek help.
What support can look like
Parent-focused therapy isn't about being told how to parent. It's a space to talk through what's weighing on you, make sense of the pressure you're under, and find ways to cope that fit your family and your values.
Depending on what you need, sessions might focus on:
Managing stress, worry or burnout when everything feels like too much
Adjusting to life with a new baby, or to becoming a parent again
Sharing the mental load and talking about it with your partner
Setting boundaries with work, family and your own expectations
Reconnecting with who you are outside of parenting
Understanding your own neurodivergence, or supporting a neurodivergent child, without losing yourself in the process
Our psychologists draw on evidence-based approaches delivered in a neuroaffirming and non-judgmental way.
Is this right for me?
You might consider reaching out if you:
Feel constantly exhausted, irritable or on edge
Worry a lot about getting parenting "right"
Feel guilty, flat or disconnected from the joy you expected
Are struggling since having a baby, whether it's been weeks or years
Feel like you're managing everything for everyone else, with nothing left for yourself
You don't need a diagnosis, and you don't need to be in crisis. Many parents come in simply because they want to feel less alone with it.