Therapy for Moms Who Want to Parent Differently
You promised yourself you’d never say those words. Then you heard them coming out of your mouth.
Your toddler just had their third meltdown this week at Target. Your kindergartener refuses to get dressed for school. Again. You know these are normal developmental stages, but your response feels anything but normal when you hear yourself sounding exactly like your mother.
The sharp tone. The exasperated sigh. The same phrases you swore you'd never use.
You freeze, recognizing the familiar script playing out. Your parents were good parents, they did their best. But you want something different for your children. You want to respond with patience when they test boundaries. You want to stay calm when they're melting down. You want to be the safe, regulated parent you needed when you were small.
Instead, you find yourself caught in a frustrating loop: Your 4-year-old won't put on their shoes, and suddenly you're using that voice. The one that makes your child's face crumple. The one that sends you spiraling into guilt for the rest of the day.
Breaking a Parenting Cycle Requires More Than Good Intentions
You’re resourceful and capable. You've successfully navigated career challenges, maintained friendships, and created a loving home.
But changing ingrained family patterns? That's proving harder than anything else you’ve tackled.
Your triggers happen faster than your logical brain can intervene. You understand child development. You know your 4-year-old isn't deliberately trying to make you late. But when they refuse to get in the car seat, your nervous system responds before your knowledge can kick in. It's like your body has memorized your mother's reactions and plays them back automatically.
You’re working against decades of programming. The way you were parented shaped you from birth. These aren't just habits you picked up; they're deeply wired responses. Think of it like trying to write with your non-dominant hand while stressed. Your brain will always default to what it knows best unless you deliberately create new pathways.
Knowing the problem doesn't fix it. You can see exactly how you're becoming your father when you criticize your kindergartener's homework. You catch yourself mid-sentence using his exact tone. But knowing it's happening doesn't stop it from happening. But that knowledge doesn't help when you're in the moment and the words are already coming out before you can stop yourself.
Your reactions feel bigger than the situation. Your kindergartener won’t brush their teeth, and you find yourself absolutely losing it. You know a forgotten tooth-brushing session isn’t worth this level of anger, but you can't seem to match your response to the actual problem. It's like your emotional volume is stuck on high when your child pushes certain buttons.
You’ve done the reading. You listen to the parenting podcasts. You can articulate exactly what kind of parent you want to be. What you need now is a structured space to transform that understanding into consistent, authentic responses that feel natural even in difficult moments. That’s where I come in.
You Want to Change, But Haven’t Found What Works
You've read the gentle parenting Instagram posts. You've listened to the podcasts about emotional regulation. You've even practiced deep breathing. But when your toddler throws their breakfast on the floor or your 5-year-old has a complete meltdown about socks, all that knowledge evaporates.
You've tried:
Counting to ten (you made it to three before losing it)
Following gentle parenting accounts (they make you feel worse about yourself)
Venting to friends (they either judge or just commiserate)
Promising yourself tomorrow will be different (it isn't)
Here’s what those approaches miss: Changing generational patterns of behavior isn’t about having the right information. It’s about healing the part of you that gets activated when your child pushes your buttons.
My Approach to Helping Moms Parent Differently…
Most parenting advice focuses on what to do in the moment: count to ten, take deep breaths, use this script. But you've probably noticed those strategies fall apart when you're actually triggered. That's because they're treating the surface without addressing what's underneath.
In our work together, we connect the dots between your past and present. Think of it like this: When your kindergartener ignores your instructions, you're not just responding to them. Your brain is also remembering every time you felt dismissed or unheard as a child. Your reaction is bigger because it's carrying the weight of your own childhood experiences.
Once we identify these connections, something shifts. When you understand that your rage about untied shoes is really about feeling controlled by your perfectionist mother, the rage loses its grip. You can see it coming, name it, and choose a different response.
The goal is not to blame your parents, and we don’t need to spend years analyzing your childhood. But we do want to understand why certain behaviors from your kids hit you so hard. This way, you’ll be able to respond to what's happening in front of you instead of reacting from old experiences.
The best part is that these insights tend to reduce the intensity of your reaction. You don’t have to work so hard to stay calm because the trigger itself has less power over you.
You know what you want your family to feel like. You can picture the calm mornings, the gentle conversations, the bedtimes that end with hugs instead of guilt. What you need is someone who understands why knowing better hasn't translated to doing better, and how to close that gap.
You and I will partner together to develop practical skills and tools for how to have…
Fewer moments of mom guilt and more bedtimes where you feel good about how the day went because you'll develop an early warning system that catches you before you react. When you notice that familiar tension building, you'll have a practiced response ready instead of defaulting to old patterns.
Peaceful dinners instead of dreading mealtime battles because you'll understand why certain behaviors make you disproportionately angry. Once you know why refused vegetables send you into overdrive, they lose their power. You'll stay calm even when your toddler eats only bread for the third night in a row.
Shorter tantrums, smoother mornings, and getting to school without tears (yours or theirs) because you'll have go-to responses that work for your specific child. Not scripts from a parenting book, but authentic words that feel natural to you and actually de-escalate situations with your unique kid.
A child who comes to you with problems instead of hiding them because you'll master the art of repair when things don't go perfectly. Some days you will lose your cool, and knowing how to reconnect afterward teaches your child that relationships can weather mistakes and love remains steady.
The result is a home where your kids feel secure enough to express their feelings, cooperative enough to follow routines, and connected enough to trust your guidance. Where you end the day feeling like the parent you want to be, not the parent you're trying not to be.
This is a good fit for moms who…
Notice they’re parenting from a place of anxiety and want to respond from a place of calm confidence
Want to break generational patterns and cycles, but need support figuring out how
Are ready to explore how their own childhood affects their parenting today
Value professional guidance and will practice new approaches between sessions
Want a collaborative partner, not just information or advice
Can commit to weekly or biweekly sessions to create real momentum
This is not for moms who are…
Are looking for quick fixes or parenting hacks without exploring why your mother’s critical voice comes out when your child makes mistakes, or why you shut down emotionally just like your father did
Want someone to just validate your current approach without examining what's not working
Aren't able to commit to regular sessions (consistency is key for this type of work)
Are in crisis and need immediate intervention (I can provide referrals for urgent support)
Why I’m the right therapist for this work…
I specialize in helping mothers understand and interrupt generational patterns. My training in child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) means I understand the invisible threads connecting your childhood experiences to your parenting triggers. I'm also trained in EMDR, which helps process old wounds that get activated by your children's behavior.
But credentials only matter if they translate to real help. In our sessions, I won't just nod while you vent or offer generic advice you could find in any parenting book. I'll help you see the specific moments where your past hijacks your present, and we'll build practical ways to respond differently.
My style is direct but warm. I'll gently point out patterns you might not see yourself, and I'll celebrate with you when you catch yourself choosing a different response. You'll leave each session with concrete insights you can use immediately, not abstract theories to ponder.
We'll do this work via secure video sessions from wherever you feel comfortable. No rushing through traffic or arranging childcare. You can do the deep work of breaking generational patterns from your parked car during lunch, your bedroom after the kids are asleep, or anywhere else that feels private and safe.
About Gayle Weill, LCSW
Contact me or schedule your first therapy session below.
FAQs About Therapy for Moms
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My fee for a therapy session is $325 for 45-55 minutes.
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I am not currently in-network with insurance. I am happy to provide you with a Superbill so that you could submit to insurance for possible reimbursement for therapy sessions if you have out-of-network benefits.
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At this time, sessions are only offered online through Zoom.
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I meet with the majority of my clients on a weekly basis. I ask that all new clients commit to meeting weekly, for at-least the first 6 weeks. This will allow us to start off on a strong foot, so you can start seeing progress right away. I may recommend that we increase or decrease the frequency of sessions to best meet your needs.
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A state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by the chronic stress of parenting, often accompanied by feelings of inadequacy and detachment.
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Authoritative parenting, which balances warmth and structure, is generally considered the most effective for child development and well-being.