The Coronavirus Crisis Make Family Stress Worse

If you are struggling more than usual with worry for your family right now, you are not alone. Even if you or a loved one have not been personally affected by the virus, you may feel like you are sitting in wait for the other shoe to drop.

So many of us are worried about getting infected. You may fear that germs can be transmitted via surfaces, clothing, food or the air. There seems to be no definitive answers to your questions, which makes it difficult to know exactly how to keep your family safe. This feeling of being out of control is a parenting nightmare.

And, if you and your loved ones are safe, you might be sheltering at home together 24X7, and that brings a whole lot of stress in addition to already trying to manage challenging episodes from your gifted children. Their advanced intellect may cause them to ask more questions than usual and worry more intensely.

Helping you manage this additional stress and come out of this Coronavirus crisis intact as a family, is something I can currently do via online therapy. 

Reach out if you would like to chat with me to see if working together at this time or in the future makes sense for you and your family.

 You Are the Parents of A Gifted Child?

At this point, if you are looking for a therapist who works with Gifted children, you have some intuition about your answer to the question above.  You may have the tests to prove giftedness or as the parent, you have some intuition.

No doubt you love your gifted child. You are excited to see what their giftedness brings to your family and their future. Some days, though, you start to wonder if you are providing the kind of parenting they really need.

After school, homework feels like a chore to both of you…a chore that is never done, even though your child is such a smart kid.

Let’s paint a picture…..

You are worn out and have nothing left to give.

Your world is full of discarded shoes and half-done homework.

You worry that the experience of school is causing harm to your child.

Being the parent that teachers run from is no fun at all!

You cannot see how your child is gifted when they lack basic common sense.

Your child out-thinks your every response before it comes out of your mouth.

You feel strongly responsible for preparing your gifted child for the world, yet you don’t know how.

You are full of fears, misconceptions, anxieties, and doubts.

The parenting you learned from your parents is just not cutting it!

Is My Child Really Gifted?

What does that even mean? My three daughters were all in the Gifted and Talented Program but I never really thought about what being gifted really meant. Actually, I often found myself downplaying their talents and accomplishments.

The intensity of our family life just seemed normal to me. I could handle it. After all, I was a child and family psychotherapist. I just did what I know how to do. They all survived, after all.

Could I have been a better parent to my super intense, passionate daughters? Most definitely!

What if I had more support? Would that have helped minimize the strain on our relationships? Without a doubt!

If I had understood how being gifted was connected to our struggles, we would all have felt less blame, shame, and frustration and more connection as a family.

Don’t Go It Alone with your Gifted Child!

I work intensely with you as parents, to understand the unique behaviors and emotions of your gifted child. Left unchecked, the social and emotional life of gifted children can sabotage self-confidence and self-esteem. Gifted over-excibibilities can wreak havoc on family life, not to mention create nightmare scenarios at school.

I help parents learn how to use giftedness to strengthen social and emotional relationships, to help children thrive in the world and bring peace to the home.

We will work on creating nurturing relationships between you and your gifted child, as we tackle over-excitabilities and family conflicts. I use a trust-based parenting model which focuses on compassion, attachment, and understanding, healthy limit setting and collaborative problem-solving.

Most importantly, I involve everyone in the family! I do not treat children in isolation because I believe I can help your family find and be the solution to the challenges of giftedness.

Check out the possibility for In-Home Family Therapy, for a convenient option for busy families.

Together, we will explore the complicated feelings that come to families with gifted children, establish workable routines and schedules that take the unique needs of your family into consideration.

We will focus on using the strengths of your families to solve problems, improve communication skills and establish rituals and traditions that support a healthy family culture. Being gifted deserves to be celebrated.

Contact Abby:

Helping families feel connected is at the core of my Family Therapy practice. Should you feel like your family might benefit from family counseling to increase your family connections and decrease family conflicts with a gifted child in the home, you have come to the right place!

Click here, to contact me via email, or feel free to give me a call at (626) 755-4059 for a FREE 20-minute, Initial Phone Consultation.

I meet alone with parents in my Arcadia office for the first session because it is important for us to have a good fit before you introduce me to your children.

In-Home Family Therapy (Home-Based Family Counseling) is an option to families living in Pasadena, Glendale and Arcadia, California, as well as the surrounding areas of the San Gabriel Valley.

I have completed training from SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) and am a certified SENG Parent Support Group Facilitator. You will find my professional listing with SENG here.

Please feel free to find out more about me on my Family Trauma Therapy page. You can also explore my Credentials, Services, and Rates. 

LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy is a core value of my practice.

My style shines through in my blog, Connected Family Fun, LA., where I share ways to have fun with the family while making deeper connections.

Let’s connect!