Parenting & Family Therapy in Palm Desert, California
Anxiety therapy for parents navigating stress, reactivity, and family transitions.
When one part of the family feels overwhelmed or anxious, the whole system feels it.
Families move through many seasons, fertility journeys, pregnancy, postpartum transitions, adoption, blending households, and the daily realities of raising young children. Even when everything looks “fine” from the outside, home can still feel tense, disconnected, or stretched thin.
I offer family therapy in Palm Desert for parents and caregivers seeking support with anxiety, emotional regulation, communication, and the stress that shows up in family life. Together, we work to strengthen connection, reduce reactivity, and help everyone feel more grounded and understood.
You might be noticing:
More frequent conflict or short fuses
Feeling disconnected from your partner
A child who’s acting out, overwhelmed, or shutting down
Old patterns resurfacing when you least expect them
A sense that everything feels heavier than it “should”
Family therapy isn’t about finding fault. It’s about understanding the patterns at play and helping everyone feel seen, safe, and connected again.
How Parenting & Family Therapy Supports Parents and Children Through Change
Parenting today is emotionally complex. Between logistics, relationships, identity shifts, and the invisible mental load, many parents find themselves feeling anxious, reactive, or stretched thin, even when they’re deeply committed to showing up well for their children.
Through parenting and family therapy, many parents reach out during fertility stress, postpartum overwhelm, or seasons when their relationship begins to feel strained. Together, we explore both the emotional and practical sides of family life, including:
What your child’s behavior may be communicating
How stress, anxiety, or burnout are shaping your parenting
How partners can reconnect instead of slipping into resentment
How to regulate your nervous system so you can co-regulate with your child
How your own upbringing may be influencing current reactions
How to create rhythms and boundaries that support your whole family
Families don’t need perfection; they need connection.
And connection is something that parenting therapy and family therapy can help you build, repair, and strengthen over time.
Therapy for Parents
Parenting can feel isolating, even when you’re surrounded by people. You might second-guess yourself, Google late at night, or wonder why this feels harder than you expected.
Through therapy for parents, I support caregivers navigating anxiety, emotional overwhelm, and the day-to-day stress of raising children in a world that asks a lot. My approach integrates:
Child development
Emotionally focused family therapy
Attachment theory
Trauma-informed, nervous-system–aware practices
Lived experience with IVF, postpartum, and parenting
Together, we make sense of what’s happening beneath the behavior, in your child and in you, so you can respond with more confidence, clarity, and compassion.
Parents often seek therapy for support with:
Tantrums and emotional regulation
Sleep regressions or developmental transitions
Separation anxiety or major developmental leaps
Co-parenting through fertility, postpartum, or identity shifts
Adoption-related questions or emotional processing
Parenting stress, burnout, and emotional labor
You don’t have to navigate this season alone. Therapy can help you feel more grounded, supported, and steady as you care for your family.
My Approach to Family Therapy
I take a collaborative, grounding, and deeply relational approach to family therapy, supporting parents and families through anxiety, stress, and periods of change. Sessions are designed to slow things down, enough for you to exhale, reflect, and begin understanding what’s happening beneath the surface.
My work draws from:
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Attachment-based family therapy
Child-centered and play-informed principles
LGBTQ+ affirming and inclusive practices
Trauma-informed, nervous-system–focused care
Whether we meet with the whole family, just the parents, or a combination of both, our work stays attuned to the emotional patterns shaping your family’s rhythm, communication, and sense of connection.
This process is gentle, honest, and deeply supportive. Family therapy isn’t about blame, it’s about repair, regulation, and strengthening connection, so your home can feel steadier and more emotionally safe for everyone.
If your family is navigating overlapping transitions, you may also find these services helpful:
Relationship & Couples Therapy — for partners rebuilding connection during parenting and family transitions
Pregnancy & Postpartum Therapy — for emotional support through pregnancy and early parenting
Fertility & Loss Therapy — for individuals and families navigating fertility treatment or grief after loss
Who This Work Is For
Family therapy may be a good fit if your family is navigating:
Fertility or IVF stress impacting your relationship or home life
Postpartum overwhelm or shifting roles
Behavioral or emotional regulation challenges with young children
Ongoing conflict or communication breakdowns
Adoption-related questions or transitions
Blended family adjustments
Feeling disconnected, reactive, or “off” as a family
You don’t need to be in crisis to seek support. Many parents come to family therapy simply because they want home to feel calmer, steadier, and more connected. Therapy can help everyone’s nervous systems slow down, making space for understanding, regulation, and repair.
Healthy families aren’t the ones who avoid hard moments; they’re the ones who learn how to move through them together.
If you’re ready to feel more aligned, grounded, and connected as a family, I’d be honored to support you.
I offer family therapy in Palm Desert, California, as well as online therapy across California. Sessions may include the whole family, parents only, or a combination, whatever best supports your goals and your family’s rhythm.
You don’t have to have everything figured out to take the next step.
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Hi, I’m Sophie Bain-Tohl (she/her), a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Haven Wellness.
I support parents and families navigating transitions, communication struggles, emotional overwhelm, or the growing pains that come with raising small humans. Whether you’re moving through IVF, postpartum shifts, adoption, blended family dynamics, or simply a hard season at home, I’m here to help.
My approach is grounded in compassion, curiosity, and collaboration.
I hold space for every member of your family to feel seen, safe, and understood, because when one person’s system is struggling, the whole family feels it. -
Family therapy is a space to slow down, speak honestly, and gently explore the patterns that may be causing tension or disconnection.
Together, we’ll look at:
• How your family communicates and responds under stress
• What conflict is protecting or trying to express
• How identity shifts or developmental changes are shaping home life
• Tools that bring more clarity, connection, and easeSessions are collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to your family’s needs.
We move at a pace that feels supportive, never overwhelming, so your nervous systems have space to catch up, reconnect, and repair.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions *
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Family therapy can be helpful anytime things at home feel tense, disconnected, or harder than you expected. You don’t need to be in crisis or dealing with a major behavioral issue to reach out. Many families come to therapy because they want better communication, fewer reactive moments, and a calmer rhythm at home.
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Yes. Parenting stress, emotional overwhelm, and feeling constantly “on” are some of the most common reasons parents seek family therapy. Therapy offers a space to slow things down, understand what’s driving the stress, and build tools that support both you and your child’s nervous systems.
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That’s very common. Family therapy doesn’t rely solely on children talking about their emotions. We work through play, observation, and supporting parents in understanding what behaviors may be communicating, so even very young children can benefit from therapy.
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Not always. Family therapy can include the whole family, parents only, or a combination, depending on what’s most supportive at that stage. We’ll decide together what makes the most sense for your family and adjust as your needs change.