What is parenting anxiety?

Parenting anxiety is persistent worry, overwhelm, or a sense that you are not coping with the load of raising a child. It can show up in new parents and in parents of older children. It is not a personal failure. About 1 in 5 expecting or new mothers and about 1 in 10 expecting or new fathers in Australia experience perinatal anxiety and/or depression (PANDA / COPE).

Clinical hypnotherapy at Norwest Wellbeing works with automatic worry and body stress. It complements GP and maternal child health care. Hub: Parenting.

Signs this may fit

You may recognise constant irritability, dread of nights or school runs, little practical support, and the feeling that everyone else is managing better. If low mood or panic after birth is primary, see postnatal depression or postnatal anxiety instead.

How hypnotherapy helps

Sessions combine clinical hypnotherapy with strategic psychotherapy. The aim is to change how your nervous system meets the load, not to add hours to the clock. Rebecca Smith leads perinatal and women's health work; Paul Smith leads paediatric pathways when a child is the identified patient.

Treatment and fees

Initial consultation up to 90 minutes ($300, including an audio recording of the trance portion). Returning sessions up to 60 minutes ($300). Norwest (Sydney Hills) or Zoom Australia-wide. Typical adult course is an intake plus 2 to 5 returning sessions.

Medical care first

Hypnotherapy does not diagnose and is not a crisis service. See your GP. PANDA 1300 726 306. Lifeline 13 11 14. Call 000 if you or your child is in immediate danger.