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Therapy for attachment wounds, childhood emotional neglect & early parentification
If you grew up taking care of everyone else, learned early not to need much, or still feel anxious and unsure in close relationships, your past may be showing up in your present. Therapy can help you understand it — and relate to people differently.
Adults 18+ · Secure video across Illinois · BCBS PPO & Aetna PPO
Does this sound familiar?
You were the “responsible one” far too young
Asking for help feels uncomfortable or impossible
You struggle to name what you feel or need
Fear of abandonment, or pulling away when it gets close
People-pleasing and trouble setting boundaries
Feeling different or empty without knowing why
How therapy can help
01
Name what was missing
Understand the impact of what didn’t happen, not only what did.
02
See your patterns
Notice how early attachment shows up in friendships, love, and work.
03
Practice something new
Build boundaries, self-compassion, and the ability to receive care.
A WHOLE-PERSON LENS
Honoring family without excusing harm
In many cultures, caring for parents and siblings is expected and meaningful. We can respect that while still making space for what you missed, what it cost you, and what you need now.
Questions
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Childhood emotional neglect is when caregivers consistently don’t meet a child’s basic emotional and psychological needs, such as love, belonging, comfort, and support (Bernstein et al., Childhood Trauma Questionnaire). It’s often about what didn’t happen rather than what did, which can make it hard to recognize as an adult. It isn’t a diagnosis on its own. The DSM-5-TR lists childhood neglect among “other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention.”
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Parentification is a reversal of family roles in which a child takes on responsibilities usually held by adults (Jurkovic, 1997). It can be emotional, such as becoming a parent’s confidant, mediator, or main source of comfort, or instrumental, such as caring for siblings, running the household, or helping earn money for the family. Emotional parentification is generally considered the more harmful of the two. It isn’t a DSM-5-TR diagnosis, but it’s a well-studied pattern that often shapes adult relationships.
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No. We look at the past to understand the present, and focus on practical change in your life now.
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