Therapy for Childhood Patterns
Are you noticing you've been doing something "for forever" and don't know why?
The responsible one, the one who can read people really well, the one who feels like they have to go above and beyond at work, the manager, the mediator: These patterns likely stemmed from childhood.
Your childhood can be “not that bad” or even “fine” and still affect your day-to-day functioning.
Oldest daughter, only child, man of the house, baby of the family, forgotten middle child; all roles present differently as people get older, but one thing remains the same-you weren’t “born” with the patterns that aren’t helpful.
Being the “good kid,” never got in trouble, got good grades, the one your parents didn’t need to worry about.
Or the opposite: risky behavior, got in trouble at school, maybe your parents had to worry about you. Maybe your parents didn’t care or seem to notice.
Then, for however many years, you keep trying to fill those roles because that’s “just how you are.” But you’re wanting a change.
You might be struggling with:
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Feeling like you always have to be the responsible one
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Having a hard time asking for help or letting someone else take over
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Feeling like your childhood was “fine,” but still wondering why certain things are difficult for you now.
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Having a complicated relationship with your family that is hard to explain to other people.
Goals I typically work on:
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Understanding the roles you took on in your family and why they made sense at the time
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Connecting patterns in your childhood to the way you relate to yourself and others now
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Noticing what you need and how to communicate that to others
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Making choices without feeling like you’re a “bad” person