Parenting in A Digital World

By Anglican Family Care | Posted: Thursday April 7, 2022

Clients access Anglican Family Care’s therapeutics services through internal and external referrals.

In Dunedin, a mum recently engaged in our counselling service through her daughter’s relationship with our Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) service. At that time, mum was struggling to support her teenage daughter and was hoping for a place in which she could express her emotions safely and without judgement, and learn some strategies and tools with which to improve both her emotional wellbeing and her relationship with her daughter.

During this journey, mum was able to see that she wasn’t the only parent struggling with adolescent behaviour when she felt lonely and isolated. It’s normal for parents to reflect on the past when their tamariki were younger and easier to manage, and wish they could go back in time.

Counselling helps parents to grow their confidence and reduce anxiety, and recognise that parenting always brings challenges, but with a solution-focused approach, clients are able to manage life’s often complex and sometimes unexpected challenges.

Today, young people are under so much more pressure, and it was important for mum to make her daughter aware of the potential dangers around social media. With counselling support, she was able to help mitigate this anxiety and learn new tools to approach the situation and keep her daughter safe.

“Counselling has helped me;
I have learned so much about myself and how my experiences influence my reactions. With my counsellor’s guidance...”

This is an example of how our Dunedin based services work closely to help whānau connect and receive the support specific to their needs.

We accept self-referrals, or with consent, referrals from any other professionals involved in supporting a family. Counselling is delivered by qualified members of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC).

...I was able to talk through my feelings, I’m now able to manage conflicts and start enjoying the relationship with my daughter again. Counselling isn’t a weakness and there’s no shame in talking to a professional.

* Images have been changed to protect clients’ privacy.