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Old Nov 16, 2018, 08:02 AM
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Grand Poohbah
 
Member Since: Jun 2013
Location: In my head
Posts: 1,787
No. You should have an excellent therapist for yourself (and if you have a partner or coparent who is willing) who is a family therapist and who is systems oriented. You want someone with whom you can discuss parenting issues who gives you a lot of room to work out what kind of parent you want to be and helps you keep yourself in top emotional shape so that you can be that parent. Having an excellent primary care provider (physician or NP) for your children who has an awareness of mental health issues is also key.

YOU are the main resource for your children. Not a therapist. You teach them the skills they need to manage their anxiety. You model self-care, forgiveness, repair of ruptures, coping cheerfully with imperfection, lovingkindness etc. So you need to make sure you’re getting all the care that you need you need, reading the books, taking the courses or whatever so that you can do that well enough, often enough. Not perfectly. Not every time. But enough.

I don’t think a therapist has much of a place for primary prevention in childhood.
Thanks for this!
WarmFuzzySocks