How can Parentline help you?

As many would agree, being a parent can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life but we definitely have moments where we need to put our hand up and get some support. Parents are crucial members of a family unit and one of the best signs that we aren’t travelling well, is often when our children aren’t doing well. So during these times it’s important to reach out for support in a space that you feel heard and understood to assist the exploration of new ways of thinking about problems and to help you come up with strategies and solutions that may improve the situation.

When parenting concerns arise, access to evidence-based information and support can be critical to positive family outcomes. Parentline responds to this need by providing free, professional and confidential counselling, guidance and support to parents across Queensland and the Northern Territory, primarily through virtual modalities. Parentline supports parents experiencing dysregulation and feelings of overwhelm to build strong healthy relationships with their children and enhance family safety and wellbeing.

Some common concerns that Parentline respond to include; challenging behaviours, parent/child relationships, relationships with families and partners, as well as child shared care/blended family issues and mental and emotional wellbeing. By seeking support from one of our trained counsellors at Parentline we can support you to obtain a better understanding of the way your family works by collaboratively exploring your past and present circumstances, concerns and emotional responses. By gaining a better understanding on how your family functions, we can assist you to identify strategies that are informed by your own skills and strengths to develop strategies in a way that suits your family’s needs.

As parents we often need to take a moment, especially when we are feeling like we are overwhelmed and not responding to our children needs as well as we would want to. Parentline is here to remind you that parents are human too and sometimes our capacity can be depleted. If you consider the notion of the safety speech we hear before taking off on a plane, we are reminded to place the oxygen mask on ourselves before we place them on our child. At times we just need to be listened too and have someone help navigate us to see things from a new perspective. Taking an alternate viewpoint can assist to de-escalate the current situation and work towards reconnecting with the people that are important to us.

Parentline can assist with the exploration of your support networks that include both informal and formal supports to identify strategies that can assist you further into the future. These can include the family support you may already have, and/or other professional services that can assist to support you and your family. Parentline can also assist you with links to up-to-date available resources about children and parenting which can develop your knowledge to improve your ability to responds to your child’s and family needs.

The relationship between you and your child is a key focus of Parentline counselling to work towards an improved family environment. Our counsellors can help you explore your family and relationship dynamics to recognise the needs of both you and your child, and consequently communicate them. By acknowledging these needs we can work with you to develop and improve child/parent connection that is based on an inclusive, supportive, safe and secure approach to work towards healthier relationships and a better family life.

Calling Parentline is a reminder that you are not alone and support is always available. Our qualified and professional counsellors are available to: * Help you self-regulate and deal with feelings of overwhelm; * Develop insight into your parenting and their child’s needs; * Focus on connection within the family; * Acquire skills that support their role as parents; * Refocus and strengthen family relationships; and * Connect with appropriate services in their local community to address ongoing needs.

With over 25 years of experience in responding to parenting issues, Parentline’s key objectives are to ensure that parents feel heard, less overwhelmed and less isolated. Parents need a space to consider our own wellbeing to reflect upon our own parenting experience/roles/styles to enable us to explore insights that can improve our overall wellbeing which will, in turn, assist us to meet the needs of our children. So please remember, it’s important to know that you can always talk to someone about what’s going on. If you’re a parent, carer or family member living in Queensland or the Northern Territory, you can call Parentline from 8am – 10pm seven days a week, for the cost of a local phone call. 1300 30 1300 or webchat/email parentline.com.au