Life is full of transitions that can change how we understand ourselves, our relationships, and the roles we play in the lives of others.

Becoming a parent, raising children, navigating adolescence, watching children grow into adulthood, changing careers, or adjusting to a new chapter of life can bring unexpected questions about who we are and who we're supposed to be.

These experiences can be meaningful, exciting, exhausting, confusing, and sometimes all of those things at once.

At Mountain View Therapy, we offer virtual Narrative Therapy throughout Massachusetts for people navigating parenting, changing family relationships, and life's many transitions.

We believe you bring valuable knowledge about your own life and relationships, even when uncertainty or outside expectations make that knowledge difficult to recognize.

Parenting Doesn't Come With One Right Story

You get to question the expectations of what a “good parent” should be.

From the moment someone becomes a parent, or even begins considering parenthood, they encounter countless messages about what parenting should look like.

Be patient. Set boundaries. Be involved, but don't be overprotective. Encourage independence, but always be available. Make the right decisions, and somehow know what those decisions are.

These expectations can become so familiar that we stop questioning where they came from or whether they fit with our own values.

Parenting can also bring up stories from our own childhoods, relationships with caregivers, cultural traditions, and hopes for the families we're creating.

In therapy, we can explore the expectations that have shaped your experience of parenting and consider which ones you want to hold onto, question, or leave behind.

Our goal isn't to tell you how to be a better parent. It's to create space to explore the kind of parent you want to be and the relationships you hope to nurture.

Parenting Through Different Stages of Life

As children grow and change, our relationships with them change too.

Parenting a toddler is different from parenting a teenager. Supporting a young adult finding their independence brings different questions than caring for a child who relies on you for nearly everything.

Sometimes these changes happen gradually. Other times, a new stage arrives before we feel ready.

You might be navigating:

• The transition into parenthood

• Changing relationships after welcoming a child

• Parenting children with different needs or ways of experiencing the world

• Supporting a child exploring their gender or sexuality

• Parenting teenagers and negotiating growing independence

• Communication and conflict within the family

• Co-parenting across households or after separation

• Supporting adult children while redefining your role

• Caring for aging parents while raising your own family

Therapy can offer a place to explore these changing relationships without assuming that one person is the problem or that every family should look the same.

Life Transitions Can Change How We See Ourselves

Sometimes the life we're living looks different from the one we imagined.

Transitions aren't always easy to categorize as good or bad.

A change you wanted might still bring grief or uncertainty. An unexpected change might open possibilities you hadn't considered. Sometimes the hardest part is realizing that an identity, role, or expectation that once fit no longer feels right.

You might be navigating a career change, graduation, a move, a new relationship, separation, caregiving responsibilities, loss, or a shift in your sense of identity.

Life transitions can also bring us into contact with powerful cultural expectations about where we should be by a certain age, what success should look like, or how we're supposed to respond to change.

Narrative Therapy creates opportunities to examine these expectations, recognize what matters to you, and explore how you want to move forward.

You don't have to know what comes next to begin that conversation.

Things We Might Explore Together

• Parenting expectations and self-doubt

• Becoming a parent or considering parenthood

• Parenting teens and young adults

• Changing family roles and relationships

• Co-parenting, separation, and blended families

• Supporting LGBTQIA+ or neurodivergent family members

• Balancing caregiving and personal identity

• Boundaries, communication, and family conflict

• Career changes and professional identity

• College, graduation, and changing independence

• Relationships, separation, and new beginnings

• Grief, loss, and unexpected life changes

• Aging, caregiving, and changing responsibilities

• Cultural expectations about family and success

• Reconnecting with your values during times of change

These are just some of the conversations we might explore. You don't need to fit into a particular category or be experiencing a crisis to benefit from therapy.

You Get to Question the Stories You've Inherited

The stories we've been told about our lives aren't the only stories available to us.

Narrative Therapy recognizes that our understandings of ourselves are shaped by our experiences, relationships, communities, and the larger cultural messages surrounding us.

Sometimes these messages create expectations that are difficult to live up to.

Perhaps you've come to believe that a good parent never loses patience, that changing careers means starting over, or that reaching a certain age should mean having everything figured out.

When these stories become dominant, they can make it difficult to recognize the many other ways you've demonstrated care, courage, flexibility, persistence, and commitment to the people and things that matter to you.

In Narrative Therapy, we become curious about these expectations.

Where did they come from? How have they influenced your decisions and relationships? Do they reflect your values? And what experiences might suggest other ways of understanding yourself?

The goal isn't to replace one set of expectations with another.

It's to make room for stories that better reflect the complexity of your life and the possibilities you want to pursue.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NARRATIVE THERAPY →

Meet Our Parenting & Life Transitions Therapists

Our therapists share a commitment to Narrative Therapy while bringing different experiences, interests, and perspectives to their work.

Whether you're navigating parenting challenges, changing family relationships, or a new chapter in your own life, we encourage you to explore our clinicians' profiles and consider who might be a good fit.

Our referrals coordinator can help you explore which therapists have availability and interests that align with what you're looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I come to therapy to talk about parenting without bringing my child?

Absolutely. Parenting can bring up questions about identity, relationships, expectations, and the kind of parent you hope to be.

Individual therapy can be a space to explore those experiences, even if your child isn't participating in therapy.

Is this therapy only for parents?

Not at all! This specialty also includes people navigating significant life transitions, whether or not parenting is part of their lives.

Changes in relationships, careers, family roles, identity, and personal circumstances can all bring important questions worth exploring.

Do you work with parents of teenagers and adult children?

Yes. Parenting relationships continue to change as children grow, develop independence, and create their own lives.

Therapy can offer space to explore how your relationship is changing, the expectations each person brings, and the kind of connection you hope to maintain.

Can my partner or family members participate in therapy?

Depending on your goals and clinician availability, couples or family therapy may be an option.

Our referrals coordinator can help you explore whether individual, relationship, or family therapy would be the best fit for what you're hoping to discuss.

Do you offer virtual therapy?

Yes! Mountain View Therapy is a fully virtual practice offering online therapy throughout Massachusetts.

Sessions take place through a secure video platform, allowing you to meet with your therapist from a private, comfortable space.

What if I'm not sure which therapist would be a good fit?

That's okay! Finding someone you feel comfortable talking with is an important part of therapy.

We encourage you to explore our clinicians' profiles and notice whose interests and approach resonate with you.

Our referrals coordinator can also help you explore available therapists who work with teens and young adults.

Do you accept insurance, including MassHealth?

Yes! Mountain View Therapy accepts many insurance plans, including participating MassHealth plans.

Coverage and clinician availability vary by insurance plan. Our referrals team can help you explore your options before scheduling.

We also offer sliding-scale self-pay options.

LEARN MORE ABOUT INSURANCE & GETTING STARTED →

Ready to get started?

You don't have to have all the answers about parenting, relationships, or what comes next.

Whether you're navigating a major transition or simply looking for space to explore the stories shaping your life, we're here to help you find a therapist who feels like a good fit.