Family counseling for a more connected family.

Your Child Never Chooses a Meltdown


Online Family Therapy in California for Parents of Neurodivergent Children

When Meltdowns Happen, It’s Not a Choice

As a therapist and a recovering strict parent, I’ve sat with thousands of stories—and I’ve lived through some hard parenting moments myself. One truth I’ve learned again and again: children don’t choose meltdowns. They don’t wake up and decide to unravel in public or scream through the night. Just like you wouldn’t choose to break down in front of your colleagues, your child isn’t choosing to lose it in the middle of Target.

A meltdown is a brain that’s overwhelmed—too much input, too many demands, not enough safety. And for neurodivergent kids—those with ADHD, autism, giftedness, 2e profiles, or trauma histories—that overwhelm happens faster, louder, and more intensely.

Through online family therapy in California, I help parents stop reacting to behavior and start understanding what the nervous system is communicating. Because behavior is just the signal. The real work starts underneath.

What Makes Parenting a Complex Child So Exhausting?

If your child has big, baffling behaviors, you’re probably already doing everything you can. Maybe you and your co-parent are aligned. You’re consistent, connected, and committed. And yet... the intensity keeps coming.

What you're up against isn’t defiance—it’s dysregulation. Kids with complex needs don’t respond to sticker charts and time-outs. They need co-regulation, structure built on safety, and parents who know how to read their nervous system cues.

In my practice, Welcome Home Family Therapy, I specialize in helping parents like you learn the tools to decode the chaos. I’ve spent over 30 years supporting families in the child welfare system and beyond—families dealing with developmental trauma, high sensitivity, giftedness, and neurodivergence.

This is parenting therapy that gets to the root.

The Power and Flexibility of Online Family Therapy in California

Online family therapy in California is convenient, effective, and deeply relational. Whether you're in a rural community, a city center, or co-parenting from different homes, online therapy gives you access to high-quality support without adding stress.

Some benefits include:

  • Flexibility to meet from home—even when parents live separately

  • More regulation for children who feel safest in familiar environments

  • Real-time insight into parenting dynamics in your actual setting

  • No commuting, no waiting rooms, no added stress

Through virtual family therapy for neurodivergent kids, we work together to build a foundation of safety, connection, and emotional flexibility—for both you and your child.

How I Work: An Approach Built on Neuroscience, Not Judgment

I use a blend of:

  • Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) – to understand how connection shapes the developing brain

  • Polyvagal Theory – to decode nervous system states and responses

  • Trauma-Informed Therapy – to meet children’s behaviors with compassion, not control

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – to build actionable tools for emotional regulation

My work also includes movement-based regulation strategies and co-regulation strategies for parents in California—so you’re not left with theories, but practical tools.

This is not about fixing your child. It’s about transforming how you relate to their brain and body—especially during their hardest moments.

Who This Is For

I work with parents across California who are:

  • Raising a child with ADHD, autism, 2e, or trauma histories

  • Tired of quick fixes and cookie-cutter solutions

  • Co-parenting well, but still feeling overwhelmed

  • Longing to stop reacting and start reconnecting

  • Post-adoptive parents and families because it is still hard

If that’s you, online family therapy in California might be the missing piece.

Why Meltdowns Need Safety, Not Shame

Too often, parents are told to punish or withdraw when their child has a meltdown. But the truth is, a meltdown isn’t a choice—it’s a stress response. And a stressed brain doesn’t learn through fear.

It learns through safety. Through emotional regulation therapy for families, I help you build a relationship that becomes your child’s safe harbor. When they’re flooded, you become the calm in their storm.

This work is deeply personal, and deeply transformational.

Get Started: Free Consultation for Parenting Support

I offer a free, hour-long phone consultation to talk through your family’s needs and see if we’re a good fit.

Call Abby at (626) 755-4059 

Let’s talk about what’s really going on—and how we can shift it, together.

I help parents become the healers in the home.

FAQs: Online Family Therapy for Parenting Neurodivergent Kids

What if my child refuses to participate in therapy?

That’s totally okay. I start by working with parents, because you are the most powerful regulation tool your child has.

Do you work with co-parents?

Yes, I often work with both parents—even when they’re living separately  Online sessions allow flexibility and consistency in parenting therapy.

What’s the difference between parent coaching and parenting therapy?

Parent coaching is strategy-based. Parenting therapy also addresses your own triggers, history, and nervous system—so you're not just surviving, you're healing.

Is this approach helpful for gifted and twice-exceptional kids?

Yes. Therapy for gifted and 2e children often requires nuance, sensitivity, and a nervous-system-first approach. That’s what we do together.

Do you accept insurance?

I’m a private-pay therapist. Many clients use their out-of-network benefits for reimbursement, and I can provide a superbill, if appropriate. 

Let’s work together to move from chaos to connection.

Call Abby to schedule your free, hour-long, phone consultation: (626) 755-4059