Counselling for Rainbow Whānau

Parenting Rainbow rangatahi/young people:

Supporting a young person in your life who is questioning their sexuality and/or gender or who has come out to you is a big deal! Suddenly, you have a million questions and you want to learn everything and understand how to advocate for them. Most importantly, you want to do whatever you can to show them that you love them unconditionally. While it can be hard to admit, you might also find yourself grieving something it feels like you’ve lost, or worrying about how their future might look. Whānau need support too.

I can meet with you as parents/caregivers, with or without your young person, to help you get your head around how to support them really well. This is a no-judgement zone; it is simply a safe space for you to share and process your thoughts and feelings. I can also help you to access resources and connect you with other professionals, for the next steps in your learning and support journey.

Coming out later in life:

Whether this is exploring coming out to yourself or coming out to others, navigating a new awareness of sexuality and/or gender beyond the years of youth can literally be life-changing. Often, it involves unravelling years of self-doubt, shame, confusion and doing the ‘right’ thing, and can be in equal parts euphoric and devastating.

Having this experience when you are involved in a heterosexual relationship and a parent adds extra layers of complexity. As someone who has tackled this journey, with all its layers, myself, I can support you through your own. Counselling can be a safe space for you to process your thoughts and feelings and plan your next steps, all at your own pace.

Blending whānau:

When single or separated parents form new long-term relationships, a complex web of other relationships also forms: stepparents and stepsiblings. This can be a rollercoaster of unexpected challenges and joys, as everyone deals in their own ways with this new ‘manufactured’ unit. Working out how to balance parenting styles, roles and dynamics can be confronting and unsettling.

Doing this myself has been (and still is!) one of the steepest but most important learning curves I’ve
ever travelled. I can help you, as an individual or a couple, to bring as much harmony as possible to your own blended whānau. Counselling can function as an honest and judgement-free space for you to share your feelings and reflect on possible changes and strategies.