Quiet the chaos. Feel connected again.
Therapy for Parental Stress in West Chester, PA
It’s time to loosen the grip of guilt and exhaustion that’s been weighing you down. You deserve to move through your days with ease, balance, and genuine connection.
This isn’t how you imagined it…
You love your child deeply but some days love feels heavy.
You find yourself walking on eggshells around your child’s moods, unsure what version of the day you’ll get.
You feel constant tension between wanting to help and wanting to run away for just a moment of peace.
You feel guilt for losing your patience and shame for the thoughts you’d never say out loud.
You miss how it used to feel to laugh with your child and actually mean it.
You try so hard to stay calm but inside you’re boiling, angry, exhausted, and wondering what happened to the version of you who used to feel steady.
You want to feel close to your child but sometimes you’re not even sure you like being a parent anymore, and that terrifies you.
You’re tired of people not understanding what it’s like to parent a child whose needs are more than most can handle.
This isn’t the life you pictured when you decided to become a parent, and admitting that brings up a mix of grief, guilt, and longing for something different.
You can love your child more than anything and still feel completely worn out by parenting.
When Parenting Doesn’t Feel the Way You Thought It Would…
You expected parenting to be challenging, but not this relentless. When your child has ADHD, autism, anxiety, or behavioral struggles, you’re not just parenting — you’re constantly interpreting, adapting, and anticipating. Research shows that raising a child with higher needs can increase parental stress to levels comparable to frontline work. It’s no wonder your nervous system feels like it’s always on high alert.
What makes it harder is how invisible it can all feel. It can seem like everyone else is managing fine — like their kids follow directions, sleep through the night, and can handle school or sports without meltdowns. Meanwhile, you’re walking on eggshells, trying to prevent the next explosion, or holding your breath through another school email. You may love your child fiercely, but still feel isolated and unseen, like no one truly understands what your days are like.
This isn’t about not loving your child enough. It’s about being human in the face of nonstop demands. Your brain and body were never meant to function under this level of pressure alone.
Support isn’t a luxury — it’s what helps you regulate, reconnect, and start feeling like you again…
Do you ask yourself these questions?
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Because you’re human. Parenting constantly asks your nervous system to regulate while someone else’s is dysregulated — often all day, every day. When your child’s needs are big, your system stays on alert. Over time, that chronic stress can leave you feeling tense, irritable, or emotionally numb. It’s not weakness; it’s your body trying to keep up.
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Anger is often a sign of overwhelm, not failure. When your system is overloaded, anger can show up as the body’s last attempt to feel in control. Understanding what’s underneath that anger — exhaustion, grief, sensory overload — helps it soften.
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Parenting a child with higher needs can feel isolating because the day-to-day realities are invisible to most people. It’s not that you’re doing it wrong — it’s that few people see what it actually takes. Therapy offers a space where you don’t have to explain or justify; you can just exhale.
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Because somewhere along the way, you were taught that good parents give everything. The truth is, rest and boundaries make you more present — not less loving. Your needs matter too.
Feeling like you’re barely holding it together → finally feeling supported and understood.
Carrying the weight of everyone’s needs → feeling lighter and more at peace inside.
Constantly reacting to your child’s stress → responding with calm and confidence.
Feeling disconnected from yourself and your family → finding moments of real connection and ease again.
Therapy for Parental Stress in West Chester, PA can help you go from…
What Does Therapy for Parental Stress Look Like?
Stage 1
Making Space for Your Story
We’ll begin by slowing down and naming what’s really happening — the exhaustion, guilt, anger, and heartbreak of loving a child who’s struggling. This is your space to exhale and be fully understood.
Stage 2
Understanding and Unlearning
We’ll explore the patterns that keep you in survival mode — the pressure to do it all, the constant self-blame, the belief that calm only comes when everyone else is okay. You’ll start unlearning what no longer serves you and begin to soften toward yourself.
Stage 3
Reconnecting and Rebuilding
As you find steadiness again, we’ll focus on rebuilding connection — to your child, your family, and yourself. You’ll leave with tools to meet stress with calm and move through your days feeling grounded and supported.
Meet Your Therapist for Parental Stress in West Chester, PA
Nikki DeVault, LPC
This work comes from a place of deep understanding, both personal and professional. As a mom of children with high needs and as a therapist who has spent years supporting parents in similar situations, I know how consuming it can be to care for a child who requires more: more patience, more energy, more of you. It is a kind of love that asks everything and often leaves little space for your own breath.
In therapy, I draw from evidence-based approaches that help calm the body and rewire patterns of stress, including EMDR, somatic awareness, and attachment-focused work. My goal is to help you move from survival mode into a steadier, more regulated state where connection and self-compassion can take root. Together, we make sense of the exhaustion, guilt, and emotional weight of parenting a child with higher needs while helping your nervous system remember what safety and ease can feel like again.
Because it is possible to show up for your child and yourself, to feel grounded, capable, and connected even when life is still demanding..
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Yes. Parenting a teenager can bring its own kind of overwhelm — mood swings, pushback, and the fear of losing connection. This work helps you regulate your own emotions, respond instead of react, and rebuild trust and communication during a stage that often feels unpredictable and draining.
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Parenting coaching focuses on strategies and techniques for managing a child’s behavior. Therapy for parental stress goes deeper. We explore the emotional, mental, and physical impact of parenting a child with high needs, helping you heal from burnout and find your way back to balance.
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Every parent’s process is different, but many notice small shifts within a few weeks — fewer blowups, softer reactions, moments of peace where there used to be tension. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s steadiness, relief, and feeling more like yourself again.
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Yes. I specialize in supporting parents of children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, or behavioral challenges. You don’t need a formal diagnosis for this space to be helpful — what matters is that parenting feels harder than you expected and you’re ready for support.
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That’s one of the most common feelings parents share, and it makes sense. But caring for your mental health is caring for your child. When you feel more regulated and supported, your home environment naturally becomes calmer and more connected.
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Sessions are 50 minutes and the fee is $160. I’m an out-of-network provider, which means you pay at the time of session and can request reimbursement from your insurance if you have out-of-network benefits. I’m happy to walk you through how that works so it feels simple and transparent.
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That’s always an option. Sometimes having a shared space to talk through stress, communication, or parenting dynamics can be incredibly healing. We can decide together what feels most helpful for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Working through parental stress isn’t about controlling every outcome — it’s about trusting yourself to navigate what comes.
Need Something Else?
Other Services
Anxiety Therapy
Constant worry and tension can leave you stuck in survival mode. Together, we’ll calm your mind, steady your body, and help you feel grounded again.
Therapy for Trauma & PTSD
Trauma leaves lasting imprints—but it doesn’t have to define you. We’ll work to help your body and mind find safety, calm, and freedom again.
EMDR Therapy
Painful experiences can get “stuck,” leaving you feeling on edge. EMDR helps your mind and body reprocess what happened, so the past no longer feels like the present.
