Parenting in two cultures
Bringing up children, seeing to it that they develop properly, succeed and assimilate in society - are of great importance to parents. It is also a process of years where so much can go wrong.

Culture
Growing up in a different culture with a different language and mentality poses further challenges and potential problems. We have noticed in individual interviews that there is a real need to talk about this. The current climate in the Netherlands is also a cause of concern for parents: is my child developing in the manner that I intended, is he getting equal chances, proper values, and will he or she not go astray....

Some of the parents who approach us for counselling, also encountered a move to a different culture as they were growing up. They feel the need to talk about missed opportunities as a child, not being allowed to attend the same school, not being able to stay long enough to make friends, etc.

i-psy lends you support
Raising children in a different culture is not an easy task. It requires awareness and every now and then some guidance. Luckily children are very flexible and respond well to genuine efforts of their parents to address parental issues. When problems arise with children it is important to address them before the situation further deteriorates. To prevent the snowball effect it is important to seek counselling in due time. i-Psy would like to help you in becoming aware of psychological issues within the family and in addressing the problems with no ado. We try to offer parents self-assurance in their parenting skills and give them insight into their own acts and the behaviour of their child, while taking cultural and social differences into account. We are familiar with feelings of frustration as a parent, with the inability to exercise authority and with the loss of control over your child's life and the difficulties in dealing with local norms and values.

Treatment
i-psy offers individual treatment or group programmes for parenting problems. Culture-specific aspects are dealt with in both settings. The issues raised in these sessions are as varied as the cultures of the people that raise them; it may concern questions having to do with raising bilingual children, circumcision of boys who are raised in the Dutch society, anxiety about losing touch with tradition from culture / values of origin.

Individual
Sometimes in the course of an individual treatment, parental issues come to the surface. A link, for instance, may be established between a depression and unresolved parental issues. In that case further attention may be dedicated to parental issues and it may be beneficial to reinforce the sessions with psycho-education and possibly arrange a number of family sessions

Groups
We offer group programmes for mothers / parents who deal with parental issues, as well as mothers who deal with the normal course of child development in a new culture. There are two distinct target groups: a group which focuses on the parenting of children of 0-12 years, and a group on parenting of teenagers. The themes which are discussed depend on the composition of the group and the subjects that members suggest themselves in the sessions.

Exchanging experiences in a group leads to greater feelings of recognition and the sense that your parenting efforts are being appreciated and your parenting problems are being taken seriously. This interactive way of participating gives parents greater insight into their acts. It may be confronting at times and rewarding at other times, but it raises your awareness and allows you to stay as dynamic as the course of development of your child. i-psy would like to lend you a helping hand, whether it is in the form of individual setting or in a group, to better understand and process your parental issues.