Caring for a child can bring your own worries, limits, and relationship patterns into sharper focus. Looking for support does not require waiting until the whole household is struggling.
Begin with whose support is needed
Support for you: Adult individual therapy offers space to talk about your own experience, including stress, grief, identity, or relationship difficulties that arise while parenting. It is different from a child’s assessment or a specialized parenting intervention.
Guidance about parenting: Parent coaching or a caregiver-focused service may address a specific question about responding to your child. Ask the provider about their approach, qualifications, and the ages they work with.
Support for your child: A child or teen service can discuss what assessment and care might involve. Ask how caregivers participate and how information is shared.
Work involving the family: Ask whether the provider offers whole-family sessions, who attends, and what goals the work would address. A provider offering adult or couples therapy does not necessarily offer family therapy.
Local starting points
- TRAIN describes child services and parent coaching in Menlo Park.
- CHC provides child and youth services and family access information.
- allcove Palo Alto includes family support alongside its services for ages 12–25.
- Open Doors Therapy describes online support with a focus on neurodivergent teens, adults, and families.
- Kara offers grief support, including options for families navigating a death.
Bring one concrete question
Instead of trying to summarize every difficulty, you might begin with a recent moment: “Mornings have become a struggle,” or “I don’t know how to respond when my teen withdraws.” Ask what the provider would need to understand before recommending a service.
If you are considering therapy with Shawn: You can ask about adult individual or couples therapy. Parent coaching, child treatment, and whole-family therapy are not represented as confirmed services on this website.
Leave room for your own needs
Your care can matter alongside your child’s. If you want a place to talk about your own experience, a free consultation with Shawn can help you explore fit, cost, and practical arrangements.
Editorial draft prepared with Astra for this website. No clinician reviewer is represented as having approved this draft.
Sources & editorial note
Prepared September 7, 2026. This is general service-navigation information, not an assessment or treatment plan.