How Can Authentic Mothering Help Me?
I’m guessing you’re here because you’re thinking about motherhood. Maybe you want to think about your own experiences or maybe you are finding it very tough at the moment and you’re looking for some answers. Maybe you’re trying to support someone else who’s struggling.
If you’re struggling, then I’m sorry you’re finding it so tough. Mothering is hard. Before you have children, people casually tell you about the tiredness and the practical challenges but the many ways that becoming a mum can shift your entire sense of who you are can be hidden until you get there.
I have noticed that it can be hard to put this into words. I have supported hundreds of mums as they find their feet, and it still feels like something that’s hard to name. It’s big, though, and I don’t think that there are enough places to share it. That’s why I started this project. I wanted to explore those shifts myself and also to pull together the resources I have found. I then wanted to create a space for others to comment and share what mothering means to them. This is also why the first theme I have created in this section for parents is The Emotional Experiences of Motherhood.
I don’t see myself as an expert, though. Every mother is unique, and I believe that each and every one knows what is best for their family. I have written about this in my first article for parents:
What Do You Mean by Person-Centred?
I am a person-centred therapist. I was introduced to a person-centred way of working when I trained as a Breastfeeding Counsellor with the National Childbirth Trust. This work then inspired me to go deeper into the emotional work I was doing and then train as a person-centred therapist.
I have written an introduction to the Person-Centred Approach here:
Who Runs the Project?
I’m Heather Rai, as well as being a therapist, I am a mum to a teenager and I live in Nottingham, UK. You can find the website for my therapy practice here. So far, I have been working alone on the project but I would love to expand this in the future.
I have written a brief article about why I started the project, linked below:
What Next?
I really hope that you find these articles useful. The project is still very young, but I have a huge number of notes for more articles that will be added to this page as I write them. If you would like to dive a little deeper, I also have an area with articles for therapists.
If you would like to hear when a new article is published, then please subscribe to my mailing list here or by using the form at the bottom of this page.
I would also love to hear from anybody with any questions, comments or feedback on anything on the site, either using the comments box at the bottom of each article or by contacting me directly.
Warmest wishes,
Heather Rai