Parenting in Crisis: Brief Therapeutic Support
(4 sessions)
Finding steadiness, clarity, and confidence when life moves too fast, in a time of change, or during a crisis.
Parenting a child or adolescent can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. But there are also times when the pace of events feels out of control – when a young person stops coping, routines collapse, big changes are happening in the family system, or communication between family members breaks down. In those moments, we can move between urgency and feeling stuck: trying to fix everything at once, or not knowing where to begin.
These four sessions offer a chance to slow the pace and create space for thought when everything feels urgent. A crisis can then become a time to pause, take stock, and find your bearings – moving from immediate reaction to clearer priorities and practical next steps.
Why this approach
This intervention was developed by Maria Papadima, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, and Sofia Rentzi, Parenting Coach and Children and Families’ Social Worker. We’ve spent many years alongside families in pressured situations – in NHS mental health teams, social services, and community settings – and, like most people, we’ve faced our own periods of upheaval and uncertainty.
From both our personal and professional experience, we know that crisis and big transitions can affect parents’ usual judgment, or strip away confidence. It’s not about not knowing; exhaustion, guilt, or fear can make it hard to act on that knowledge in these moments. Thinking with someone outside the situation can help you reconnect with your own judgment and resources, and generate new insights about how to find solutions and move things forward.
We have also learned that working together as two practitioners allows us to bring different lenses: one grounded in psychotherapy and emotional understanding; the other grounded in family systems and practical problem-solving. We know that in intense situations, thinking together and adopting a team approach can support the kind of collaboration families themselves are trying to recover.
What happens in the four sessions
Each meeting lasts around 75 minutes online or in person (NW11) and focuses on your current situation and what will help now.
Together we will identify:
- what matters most at this point;
- how the situation is affecting communication and relationships;
- pressures and patterns that may be keeping things stuck;
- a few realistic first steps you both feel able to support.
Some parents find four sessions enough to regain steadiness. Others use this as a bridge to ongoing support or a clearer plan for what comes next – whether for you as parents, as a couple, or for your child. The work is about refinding the capacity to think and act, rather than fixing everything.
We support not only parents and carers of adolescents, but also parents of children and young people from infancy through to early adulthood (0–25 years). The short-term support consists of four sessions and a follow-up, rather than a fixed block of six sessions.
The specific circumstances vary, but often include:
- A sudden or prolonged breakdown in school attendance or planning a return to school after a crisis.
- Major family transitions such as separation, divorce, bereavement, relocation, or a new diagnosis that significantly alters daily life.
- Parents and children adjusting to major changes in their family system (e.g. parental separation and divorce, single parenthood, co-parenting arrangements, new partners, and blended families).
- When the intensity of early parenthood turns into crisis (constant exhaustion, conflict around care, or a sense of losing emotional connection) and parents need space to think, feel supported, and restore steadiness.
- Periods of intense conflict or emotional withdrawal between parent and adolescent.
- Health or mental-health emergencies that have left the family feeling unsettled or overwhelmed.
- Moments when it feels like you’ve tried everything in response to concerns about your child or family, and nothing is shifting, when you need help to slow down, think clearly, and find a way forward.
What next?
Sessions can be online or in person. You’re welcome to book a brief 15-minute Zoom call (free of charge) to see whether this space feels right for you and to discuss next steps.
We work both in English and Greek. Feel free to either book a Zoom call directly through the link below, or get in touch via the contact form.