Therapy for Parents of Children with
Mental Health Crisis

Does this sound like you?

Ever since your child’s mental health event, you have been riddled with guilt and shame. You are convinced you have failed your son or daughter in some way despite friends, family members, and mental health providers reassuring you over and over that you are not to blame. You nod in agreement to comfort them or to get them off your back, but you know you are at fault in some way.

You find it hard to fall asleep or to get a good night’s sleep. You toss and turn most nights, worrying that your child is in danger, even though they are out of danger: they completed a residential or outpatient program, they have a therapist they like, and they are attending therapy regularly. They seem back on track, but you aren’t. Worry is a constant companion, and you find yourself hovering and micromanaging your child’s every move, convinced they are at risk even though there is no evidence.

Above all, you feel lonely and all alone in your worry. Your child’s other parent and grandparents seem to have put this episode behind them, or they have put their fear in a box and refuse to open it up—you say to yourself. You constantly compare yourself to other parents and come up lacking. “I’m a bad mother,” “I’m inadequate,” “I should have known”— these are thoughts you can’t shake.

Getting the help of your child and family needed was almost a full-time job. Now the crisis is over, but fear, shame, and guilt are with you most hours of the day and night.

You know something must change; you can’t go on feeling worried, scared, and resentful. You feel like you are in a dark hole and don’t know how to get out of it on your own. You are ready to reach out and find a good therapist who can make a difference.

About Therapy for Parents

I’m Diane Dempcy, a therapist in Seattle, and I have both passion and experience helping parents recover from the aftermath of their child’s mental health crisis.

Therapy for parents is a short-term therapy that targets what might be PTSD regarding your child’s mental health crisis. In our work together, I will help you calm anxiety, diminish shame and guilt, release disturbing images about the crisis, and decrease negative beliefs about yourself.

We will meet once a week via Telehealth. During the initial session, I will get to know you, the crisis you just went through, and your goals in therapy. Then we will get to work! In our time together, you will find me an active listener, direct and supportive in my observations, and effective in helping you make the changes you want. Contact me by clicking the button below.