Parenting with a History of Trauma

Do you find yourself trying so hard to stay calm, patient and connected with your children, while internally feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated or emotionally exhausted?

Do small moments sometimes feel huge within you, like your whole nervous system is finding it overwhelming? I definitely know, as a parent, that there have been many times, where I have felt like my whole body was screaming STOP due to unbearable overwhelm, while at the same time working very hard on staying calm and regulated in fear of causing long-term damage!

The crying, the noise. the constant demands, the sibling arguments, the touch....the list goes on. Then there is the guilt and shame after reacting in ways you wish you had not.
If you are parenting while carrying the impact of trauma or CPTSD, you are not alone, and most importantly, you are not incapable or failing as a parent.

In my 20+ years working in mental health, including specialising in trauma work, I have learned that many parents with trauma histories silently struggle in ways that often go unseen or misunderstood. It is also something that repeatedly emerged in the scientific findings throughout my doctoral research in CPTSD, complex trauma and attachment.

Their struggles are often with:

• Feeling constantly on alert or anxious
• Becoming overwhelmed or emotionally flooded quickly
• Shutting down, snapping or feeling numb during stress
• Intense guilt and shame after difficult parenting moments
• Fear of becoming like their own parents (e.g. generational trauma)
• Struggling with boundaries, regulation or emotional closeness
• Feeling emotionally exhausted from always trying to hold everything together

Parenting can feel especially difficult when your nervous system has spent years in survival mode. This is an area I feel deeply passionate about, such as supporting parents who are living with CPTSD or a history of trauma, and helping them not only navigate parenting with greater self-compassion and self-empathy, but also break cycles of generational trauma.

This small, supportive therapy group has been created specifically for parents with a history of trauma or those living with CPTSD, and it will be a space where you do not have to explain away your reactions, minimise your struggles or carry shame for finding parenting hard. There will be no judgement, only compassionate support.

Together, we will gently explore:

• Understanding trauma and the nervous system
• Parenting while triggered or overwhelmed
• Emotional regulation and self-compassion
• Breaking cycles of generational trauma
• Boundaries, attachment and repair
• Reducing shame and self-criticism
• Practical tools for navigating difficult parenting moments
• Healing alongside parenting

As both a trauma therapist and a parent living with CPTSD myself, this is work I care deeply about. I know personally and professionally how isolating parenting with trauma can feel, but I also know the healing that becomes possible when parents feel truly seen, understood and supported.

One of the most powerful parts of group therapy for parents attending is the realisation that they are not the only one struggling like this. Research consistently shows that safe therapeutic groups can reduce shame and isolation, increase emotional support and help trauma survivors feel more connected, hopeful and understood.

These sessions will offer a warm, compassionate and emotionally held space where you can slow down, breathe out a little, and begin making sense of what is happening underneath the surface, without any judgement or pressure for perfection.

Spaces will be intentionally small and intimate, Tuesdays in-person in Sheffield, and on a different day for the online group.

If this resonates with you and you would like to register your interest or find out more, please get in touch via contact@steppingstonespsychology.com

MORE INFO/BOOKING DETAILS

Cost: £180 for 6 weeks (equivalent to £12 per hour)

Duration: 6 weeks of 2.5hr session per week

Financial difficulties: Please get in touch as concessionary rate is available

If you like to read and understand more about the challenges of parenting while living with past trauma, here is a blog on this topic: Why does Parenting feel so triggering at times? - Stepping Stones Psychology

©Sharmi under Stepping Stones Psychology – All Rights Reserved 2026
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