A private, collaborative space for parents and caregivers to talk about raising children while also looking after their own mental health. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Collaborative, client-centred counselling. In person in Edmonton and St. Albert, and virtual across Alberta. Open seven days a week, with weekday evening appointments.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Parenting With Mental Health Challenges Counselling Is Right for You

You may be unsure whether this is something to bring to a counsellor at all. Maybe you tell yourself that every parent is tired, that other people seem to cope, and that you just need to push a little harder. You might also wonder what it would mean to admit you are struggling. Would saying it out loud change how anyone sees you as a parent?

Some of this may sound familiar. You get everyone fed, dressed, and out the door, then sit in the car for a minute before you can face the rest of the day. You lose your patience over something small and replay it long after the kids are asleep. You keep a steady face on the hard days so your children will not notice. You are not sure how long you can keep doing that.

These are understandable responses to holding a lot at once. Parenting can involve many demands, particularly when emotional wellbeing or mental health concerns are also taking attention. Feeling worn down, guilty, or stretched thin is a common human reaction to that kind of load. It is not proof that you are failing your family, and it does not mean something is permanently wrong with you.

If you are trying to work out whether talking with someone could help, the sections below may help you decide. They explain what this counselling involves, who it may suit, and where its limits are. You can read at your own pace and take what is useful.

Who This Counselling May Help

This service is for parents and caregivers who want room to look at their own wellbeing alongside the work of raising children. It is not limited to one kind of family, and you do not need a diagnosis to come in.

This counselling may be a good fit if you:

• are a parent, step-parent, foster or adoptive parent, grandparent, or other caregiver
• are living with a mental health concern, or a stretch of low mood, anxiety, or stress, while also caring for children
• feel pulled between your own needs and what your family needs from you
• want to think through routines, communication, boundaries, values, or the supports around you
• are wondering how to talk with your children about harder days in a way that suits their age
• are adjusting to a change, such as a new baby, a separation, a move, or a shift in your health

If your main focus is your child's behaviour or a specific parenting question rather than your own wellbeing, the Parenting Challenges and Parenting Support pages may be closer to what you are looking for.

Some readers are partners, co-parents, or family members looking into this for a parent they care about. If that is you, this page may help you understand what is offered. The admin team can answer general questions about the service, and the parent can reach out whenever it feels right for them.

This counselling may not be the right fit for:

• Immediate safety concerns or a mental health crisis. Routine counselling is not emergency care. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Family court, custody, or parenting-time matters that need an evaluation or a report. These legal and forensic needs are outside this therapy service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Concerns that a child is being harmed. Counselling does not replace child-protection services. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
• Medical or psychiatric care, including medication decisions. Counselling does not replace emergency, medical, or psychiatric services. Your family doctor or psychiatrist remains the right contact for those needs.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling at this clinic is scheduled, outpatient care. It cannot respond to emergencies as they happen. If you, your child, or anyone in your home is in danger or in crisis, please contact one of these services:

• 911 for immediate danger, or go to the nearest emergency department
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), if you or someone in your home is experiencing family violence or does not feel safe at home
• Crisis Text Line powered by Kids Help Phone: text CONNECT to 686868 (24/7)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Counselling Is, and What It Is Not

Parenting with mental health challenges counselling is a series of conversations with a clinician. Together, you look at how your own wellbeing and your role as a parent are fitting together. Parenting and family relationship concerns can be meaningful topics to bring to counselling. Depending on your goals, consent, and the clinician's scope, sessions may focus on you, on family relationships, or on a specific parenting concern.

Counselling may provide space to explore routines, communication, boundaries, values, and available supports. The work is collaborative. Your therapist brings training and structure, and you bring what you know about your own life and family.

This counselling is not:

• a legal service, an investigation, or crisis intervention
• a psychological assessment. Assessments are a separate service with their own process, and they are not part of this counselling.
• a judgement of your parenting or a test of whether you are doing well enough
• a replacement for emergency, medical, psychiatric, or child-protection services

You set the pace. You decide what to talk about, how much to share, and when. Your therapist may suggest a direction, but you can say no, slow down, or change focus at any point.

What you share is confidential, within legal limits that your therapist explains before you begin. The confidentiality and privacy section below sets these out in more detail.

Every clinician works within the scope of their own registration and training. If something you need falls outside that scope, your therapist can talk with you about other options.

Signs the Strain of Parenting With Mental Health Challenges May Be Affecting You

There is no checklist that decides whether you qualify for counselling. The patterns below are not a test, and they cannot tell you whether you have a mental health condition. They are simply experiences some parents may recognize in themselves.

• Feeling guilty much of the time, even on days that went reasonably well
• Having less patience than you want, then going over it in your head later
• Running on empty by late afternoon and dreading the bedtime routine
• Feeling flat or far away while you play with your kids, and worrying they can tell
• Second-guessing decisions you used to make with confidence
• Pulling back from friends, family, or other parents because explaining feels like too much work
• Tension with a partner or co-parent about who carries what
• Sleep that does not refresh you, or tiredness and tension you feel in your body
• Putting off asking for help because you worry how it might look

These are common human reactions to carrying a lot for a long time. They do not mean something is permanently wrong, and they do not say anything final about you as a parent. Talking them through in a structured, private setting may make them easier to understand and respond to.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse therapist profiles. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880. Clinician availability changes, so the team can tell you who is currently accepting new clients.
• Book your first session. You can book online or by phone. A first session can include a discussion of consent, confidentiality, goals, and fit. You are welcome to ask questions before you share anything personal.
• Build your plan together. A therapist can work collaboratively with you to identify goals that matter to you. The plan reflects your priorities, your family's circumstances, and what feels manageable right now.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes and usually take place weekly or every two weeks. Frequency can be adjusted as your needs or schedule change.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews with you how things are going. If something is not helping, the plan can change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Your voice matters at every stage, including decisions about when to slow down, take a break, or finish. For more detail on the first appointment, What to Expect From Therapy and Getting Started with Therapy walk through the process.

Evidence and Approaches

The research gathered for this page is limited. It supports treating parenting and family relationship concerns as a legitimate reason to seek support. It does not include studies on how well particular therapy approaches work for parents managing mental health concerns. The approaches below are described with that limit in mind.

Parent-Focused Individual Counselling

What it helps with: Making room for a parent's own stress, mood, and ways of coping alongside the daily demands of caring for children.

Evidence summary: The World Health Organization's ICD-11 lists caregiver-child relationship problems among the factors that can influence health or bring people into contact with health services (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). This supports treating parenting concerns as meaningful topics to bring to counselling. The sources gathered for this page do not measure how well individual counselling works for parents managing mental health concerns.

Limitations: Because outcome research was not available for this page, no specific benefit is claimed. Experiences of counselling vary from person to person.

Relationship-Focused Sessions

What it helps with: Exploring communication and connection between a parent and child, or between co-parents, when everyone involved consents and the format is clinically appropriate.

Evidence summary: ICD-11 places caregiver-child relationship problems among factors influencing health status, rather than among mental health diagnoses (WHO, n.d.). This supports describing family relationship concerns in neutral, relationship-focused terms, without labelling any one person. The evidence gathered for this page does not compare joint sessions with individual counselling.

Limitations: Joint sessions are not suitable for every family, and suitability depends on consent, safety, and clinical scope. Effectiveness data for this specific group was not available.

Collaborative Goal-Setting and Practical Supports

What it helps with: Looking at routines, communication, boundaries, values, and available supports, and setting goals that fit your family.

Evidence summary: ICD-11 recognizes family relationship concerns as a legitimate reason for contact with health services (WHO, n.d.). That framing supports using counselling time for practical, family-centred goals. No source in this page's evidence base evaluates goal-setting or skills-focused work for parents with mental health concerns.

Limitations: This approach is described because it reflects collaborative, client-centred practice, not because of a measured effect. What feels useful will differ between families.

Your therapist can explain which methods they draw on and why, and you are welcome to ask about other options at any point.

What Results to Expect

Change in counselling is rarely a straight line. Some weeks may feel lighter and others harder, sometimes for reasons that have nothing to do with therapy. Some people notice shifts within a few months, while others find that longer-term work suits them better.

Outcomes vary, and they can depend on:

• what you are dealing with and how long it has been going on
• what else is happening in your life, such as work, health, money, sleep, and support
• your family's circumstances and the people around you
• the fit between you and your therapist

No form of therapy can guarantee a result. Counselling cannot promise changes in your parenting, your family relationships, or your child's wellbeing. What it may offer is a structured, private place to think things through and work toward goals you choose.

Fit matters. If the match with your therapist does not feel right, you can change therapists or try a different approach at any time.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Confidentiality and its legal and ethical limits are reviewed as part of informed consent, usually in your first session.

Psychologists in Alberta are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW).

Two Alberta privacy laws are relevant. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) generally governs how private clinics collect, use, and disclose personal information, including what you share in counselling. The Health Information Act (HIA) governs health information held by custodians such as Alberta Health Services. It also applies to clinicians when they work as affiliates of a custodian. Under these laws and professional standards, your information is shared outside the clinic only with your consent or where the law requires it.

There are some situations where a clinician may have to share information without your consent:

• a risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else
• suspected abuse or neglect of a child, which must be reported under Alberta's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
• a court order requiring records

Your therapist will explain these limits clearly in your first session. You can ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal, and you can call the admin team with privacy questions before you book.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to go into detail about my mental health history or my hardest moments as a parent?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start with what is happening day to day, such as mornings that fall apart or evenings that feel impossible. You only need to go further back if and when it feels useful. Your therapist can work with present-day patterns without asking you to recount everything at once.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within legal limits. Confidentiality and its legal and ethical limits are reviewed as part of informed consent. The main exceptions are a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and a court order. The confidentiality and privacy section above explains these in more detail.

If I tell a therapist I am struggling as a parent, will they have to report me?

Saying that you feel overwhelmed, low, anxious, short-tempered, or unsure of yourself as a parent is the kind of thing counselling is for. Having a mental health concern does not, on its own, mean a child is unsafe. In Alberta, the duty to report applies when there are reasonable grounds to believe a child is in need of protection. Your therapist can explain where that line sits before you share anything, so you can decide what to talk about with full information.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some people come for a short stretch to work through a specific concern, while others prefer ongoing support over a longer period. Your therapist will review progress with you regularly, and you can decide together whether to continue, change how often you meet, or finish.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is reasonable to want a different match. You can tell your therapist directly, or contact the admin team at 780-904-4880, and they can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I have sessions online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available to people anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as for in-person sessions. Virtual sessions may be easier to fit around school pickups, naps, or work. It can help to find a private spot where you will not be overheard, which can take some planning with children at home.

Do I need a diagnosis to start counselling?

No. You do not need a diagnosis, and this page cannot tell you whether you have one. Parenting and family relationship concerns can be meaningful topics to bring to counselling on their own. If you are looking for a formal psychological assessment, that is a separate service. It has its own process and is not part of this counselling.

Can my partner, co-parent, or child come to sessions?

Sometimes. Sessions can focus on you, on family relationships, or on specific parenting concerns, depending on consent, fit, and clinical scope. If you would like a partner or co-parent to join, mention it when you book or in your first session. Your therapist can then talk through which format makes sense. The Family Issues page has more on counselling for family concerns.

Meet Your Clinicians

The clinic's team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists.

All psychologists at the clinic are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a registered psychologist while they complete the requirements for full registration. Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students who see clients under clinical supervision.

Clinicians bring different training backgrounds and areas of focus. Individual profiles on the Our Therapists page describe each person's experience, and the Match with a Therapist tool can help you narrow your options. The admin team at 780-904-4880 can also tell you who currently works with parenting and family concerns and is accepting new clients.

Support for Children and Youth

Some parents reading this are also wondering how their children are doing. The clinic offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people, which is separate from your own sessions. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches, and they can work alongside caregivers so that support carries into home life.

You can attend your own counselling whether or not your child is also receiving support. The Child and Youth Mental Health page has more information.

If You Would Like to Talk With Someone

If you would like to learn more or book a session, you can take the next step in whichever way feels easiest:

• Book a session online through the clinic's booking page
• Use the Match with a Therapist tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see how the process works

You do not need to have the right words or a clear goal before you reach out. Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.