Counselling and support for parents and carers in Southend-on-Sea and online
Counselling for parents.
Calmer, closer, together.
There is no parenting manual. We can explore what you learned growing up and find responses that fit your family. Come on your own or together. Your child need not attend.
Free 30-minute video call, no obligation. £100 per 90-minute session, or £95 per session in the six-session programme.
Parenting can bring up feelings you did not expect.
You love your child, but strong feelings, arguments or silence can leave you unsure how to respond. You might find yourself reacting more sharply than you want, or holding everything in until it feels too much. There is room to understand what is happening for both of you.
Big feelings
Small moments can become big feelings, arguments or silence, leaving you unsure how to reconnect.
Constant worry
You may worry about your child’s wellbeing, friendships or development, and find it hard to know when to step in or give them space.
Not on the same page
You and your partner, or co-parent, disagree about how to handle it, and that becomes a second battle.
Reactions you want to change
You find yourself shouting, withdrawing or giving in when you feel overwhelmed. We can explore what is happening in you and the response you would prefer.
Everyday routines become a struggle
Getting ready, meals, bedtime or transitions can become points of tension. You want boundaries that fit your child’s needs without losing connection.
Parenting across two homes
You want to support your child across two homes, communicate as parents and keep adult disagreements out of your child’s relationships with you both.
My approach to parenting support.
My approach is person-centred. I offer a space to understand your experience, without judging your parenting or imposing one right way to raise a child. We start with what matters to you and the relationship you want to build.
How your parents or carers responded to your feelings can shape how you respond to your child today. Were anger, fear or sadness welcomed, dismissed or met with criticism? You may recognise familiar reactions, or find yourself trying hard to do the opposite.
When your child is upset, those earlier experiences can make it harder to stay present. We explore what is being stirred in you, what your child may need and how to respond with empathy and clear boundaries. Understanding a pattern creates room for a different response.
This is not about blaming your parents or expecting you to be perfect. Your upbringing is part of the picture, alongside your child’s needs and the pressures you face now. Together, we work towards steadier responses and repair when things go wrong.
Parenting can feel hard, even when you care deeply.
Parenting happens alongside everything else in your life. Work, money, health, family relationships and the support available to you can leave little room to recover from a difficult day. Feeling stretched does not mean you do not care.
You may face conflicting advice or expectations about how a parent should respond. It can be hard to find an approach that fits your child, your circumstances and what matters to you.
Our conversations make room for those pressures. We can explore what is within your influence, what support you need and how to respond in ways that feel more like the parent you want to be.
Change starts with understanding yourself.
We work with you as a parent or carer, not your child. We explore your feelings, earlier experiences and what is happening at home, then practise responses that fit your family. Whether you come alone or together, the work follows four stages.
Understand your own emotions
Notice worry, anger, overwhelm or the urge to shut feelings away. Explore what these responses mean for you and find ways to steady yourself before responding.
Find a steadier way forward
Explore disagreements, boundaries and the support you need. When you attend together, we also work on a shared approach.
Reconnect with your child
Understand the feeling behind the behaviour, hold a few calm boundaries and notice what is going right.
Make room for connection
Practise making feelings welcome, holding appropriate boundaries and returning to a difficult moment to listen, explain or repair.
Supporting your child starts with understanding yourself.
Parenting support gives you space to understand your own responses and consider what your child may need. We work with you rather than asking your child to attend, and adapt our conversations and practical ideas to their age, development and your family’s circumstances.
Listen to the feeling
Notice what your child may be feeling, listen with empathy and help them find words for it. You can acknowledge a feeling while setting limits around behaviour.
Make space before reacting
Explore what your child’s feelings bring up in you. We can look at emotional flooding, suppression and ways to pause, steady yourself or return to the conversation.
Respond in ways that fit
Consider what your child needs at their stage of development. We can explore clear boundaries, ways to work together as parents and repair after difficult exchanges.
Six sessions, one step at a time.
Sessions are usually fortnightly, so there is time to try things at home in between. Each session ends with one small, practical thing to try, and a short handout to keep. Short questionnaires at the start and end help us see what has changed.
Where we are, and where we came from
Your family story, your attachment experiences with your own parents or carers, and how feelings were handled as you grew up. We explore what you want to keep or change and agree what matters to you now.
Support around you
Explore the support you have and the boundaries you need. If you attend with a co-parent, we also look at communication and teamwork.
Tuning in
Emotion coaching: making room for your own feelings and your child’s, without dismissing them or becoming overwhelmed. Practise listening, naming emotions and keeping clear boundaries.
Seeing strengths
Noticing the strengths in your child and your family, and time together with no agenda.
Calm boundaries
Clear, age-appropriate boundaries around everyday family life, with room for your child’s feelings and needs as well as your own.
Our family values
What your family stands for, a plan for setbacks, and a look back at what has changed.
For one parent or carer, or both.
You are welcome on your own or with a partner or co-parent, whether you live together or apart. We tailor the work to your family, including single parents, step-parents and other carers.
The six-session programme
For families where things feel stuck, conflict is high, or you and your co-parent often disagree.
A shorter four-session version
For a focused piece of work on connection and everyday responses. We can discuss whether this shorter version fits your needs, alone or together.
Pay per session
Work through the same stages one session at a time, and take more than one session on any stage where you need it.
Safety comes first
If there is violence at home, or you are worried your child may harm themselves, please tell me straight away. We will talk about the right support alongside, or instead of, this programme.
I’m Carl. Space to understand yourself as a parent.
I am a BACP registered counsellor and relationship therapist in Southend-on-Sea, and an Association for Coaching Accredited Coach. I work with parents and carers individually or together, drawing on person-centred counselling, emotion coaching and clear, compassionate boundaries.
This is not about judging your parenting or taking sides. We explore what is happening at home, what your upbringing brings into it and what you want family life to feel like.
Check before you book
The BACP Register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, so you can check my registration for yourself. I work to the BACP Ethical Framework, which includes keeping what you tell me confidential within clear limits such as safety, and gives you a way to raise a concern.
Three simple steps.
There is nothing to prepare, and you do not need to have decided anything yet.
A free 30-minute video call
Come on your own or together, ask questions and see whether working with me feels right. There is no obligation to continue.
Choose a programme or per-session
In the free call, choose the six-session programme, the four-session version, or pay per session. You can book all your dates at once or add them later.
Extra sessions if you need them
Some stages can take longer, so if you find you want more time at one particular stage, you can add an extra session there at the per-session fee.
Choose the level of support that fits your family.
Start with a free 30-minute video call, on your own or together. Paying per session costs £100 for 90 minutes. The six-session programme is £570, equivalent to £95 per session; the four-session version is £385. Choose what fits after we have talked.
Per-session fees are payable in advance. The four and six-session programmes can be paid for weekly. Sessions can be rescheduled up to 24 hours before they start and cancelled up to 48 hours before. A programme can be cancelled up to 48 hours before its second session.
Book a free consultation Ask a questionSix-session programme
For one or both parents or carers. £95 per session; saves £30 overall.
- In person
- Online
Four-session version
A shorter focus on connection. £96.25 per session; saves £15 overall.
- In person
- Online
Pay per session
Follow the programme at your own pace, with more sessions on any stage where you need them
- In person
- Online
Common questions about parenting support.
My child is the one struggling. Why work with us instead?
We work with the part of the relationship you can influence: your own responses, how you make room for feelings and how you hold boundaries. This can offer a place to begin even if your child is not attending. If your child needs their own support as well, we can talk about suitable options.
Does my child need to come?
No. We work with you as parents or carers. We explore the responses and relationships you can influence, and consider whether your child needs their own support alongside our work.
We are separated. Can we still do this together?
Yes, when working together is safe and appropriate. We can explore how you communicate across two homes and keep your child out of adult disagreements. Where there is coercion, intimidation or abuse, joint sessions may be unsuitable. Safety and specialist support come first.
What if only one of us can come?
You are welcome to come on your own as a parent or carer. We tailor the work to the relationships and responses you can influence; another parent does not have to attend.
Is this therapy for my child?
No. This is support for you as parents. If your child needs their own help, I can talk with you about options, including their GP, school support and specialist services.
How is this different from a parenting course?
It is private, tailored to your family and led by a counsellor and relationship therapist. Alongside practical ideas, we explore your feelings, upbringing and relationships, whether you come alone or together.
How will we know if it is working?
You will fill in short questionnaires at the start and end, and rate progress on the three goals you set in the first session. We look at the results together.
What if my child is aggressive or I am worried about their safety?
Please tell me in the free call. Some situations need specialist or urgent help first. If you are worried about immediate risk, contact 999, NHS 111 or your GP. I can talk with you about what support fits alongside, or instead of, this programme.
Do you offer online or in-person sessions?
Both. In-person sessions take place in Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea, and online sessions are available across the UK. Separated parents can join from different places if needed.
Finding parenting support that fits your family
You may want to understand your own reactions, support your child’s emotions or navigate family disagreements and co-parenting. The first conversation is a chance to talk about what is happening, your child’s needs and the support that would fit your family.
We can consider whether this parenting programme, relationship counselling or individual counselling would be the most useful starting point. You can also explore my articles on emotions, relationships and wellbeing.
Read about what is happening in your family.
These articles explore some of the moments parents bring to our conversations. They offer ideas to consider for yourself and a way to see how I approach parenting, emotions and relationships.
- Why children do not need perfect parents
- Big feelings in young children, when anger takes over
- When parents disagree about their child
- When your child will not go to school
- Autism and your child, understanding what behaviour may be telling you
- What a teenager’s ADHD diagnosis can bring up for parents
- When your teenager will not talk to you
You can bring a question or a familiar situation to our free parenting support conversation. We will consider what support would fit your family.
You don’t need to have it all worked out.
Just a place to begin.
We can talk about what parenting brings up in you, how your own upbringing may be part of it, and the relationship you would like to build with your child. There is room to explore what you hope could change and whether working together feels right for you.