Kaitlin Reichart, LPC

How different approaches guide online parenting support

Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and collaboration. The therapist follows what the parent finds most important and helps shape goals from the client’s priorities. This approach is useful when someone needs a supportive space to sort through feelings and make decisions. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical skills to challenge unhelpful thinking and build new routines, which can help reduce anxiety, low mood, and parenting stress. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, adds skills for handling strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and managing intense reactions during conflicts. Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals and day-to-day life. That means trying tools, checking what helps, and adjusting strategies together as progress is made. Online therapy makes those methods accessible through several formats. Video calls let people work face to face from different locations. Phone sessions can fit into a short break and avoid the need for video. Live chat and text-based messaging allow quick check-ins, written reflections, or step-by-step coaching between longer sessions. These options offer flexibility so parents can try approaches that fit their schedule and needs.