On Parenting in the Present

Welcome! My name is Stacy and I'm the therapist behind Present Moment Counseling Services and Present Parent Coaching Services. I launched my practice this August 2022, and so appreciate you stopping by my site! The need for mental health is so great right now, especially with children and moms. I hope to fill a need in my community by offering support for families in a variety of ways.

I thought I'd welcome everyone with a little more info on why I chose the name Present Moment. For the longest time, I had an ongoing note in my phone with names for my future practice. I had a few key words I wanted to hone in on - nature, families, parenting, peace, breath, roots, gentle, kids, calm - all words that I felt came up in my work often. But while all those words described the kind of work I've done, none really tied it all together. I began to really think about what they call had in common, and after reading a few blurbs about providing therapy outdoors, a light bulb went off.

What is more important that being present with your parenting? Every time I feel like a successful parent, mom, and woman, I am present with myself and my child, without the distraction of my phone, work, or what's for dinner. I am there with my child, making eye contact, sitting on her level, engaging with her in activities or tickles or just a hug. But here’s the thing: social media has convinced us that we need to be “present” with our kids 24/7, with constant toil and sacrifice. But I don’t see present parenting with those martyr-colored glasses. When I use the word present, my hope is that we can, together, grow the ability to be present within ourselves. To know and love ourselves as mothers, women, and human beings. That we can be cognizant of our thoughts, our feelings, our triggers, and our reactions, so that we may always be in touch with ourselves and our family.

What helps pull us into the present? Those key words - nature, breath, calm, peace. I feel most present when I've had time in nature, when I feel cohesion within my family, when I feel supported by others, and when my child and I are calm. These are all things I want for my own parenting journey, and what I wanted to help other parents achieve in their own journeys.

So here we are - Present Moment Counseling Services. Here we are to support overwhelmed moms, parents struggling with behavior, families who want to secure their attachment, and children who have big feelings. You and your family deserve cohesion, collaboration, and calm. I hope that by working on parenting in the present, we can achieve those together.