Interpersonal Process Group for Parents
You love your children fiercely.
And sometimes, you hear your parent's voice coming out of your mouth—and you promised yourself you'd never say that.
You're doing everything "right"—reading the parenting books, trying to stay calm, working on yourself—but old patterns keep showing up. You snap at your kids the way your mom snapped at you. You withdraw when things get hard, just like your dad did. You feel the weight of wanting to do better, be better, break the cycle—but you're not sure how.
You don't need another parenting tips group. You need space to understand why these patterns exist and how to truly change them.
What is this group?
This is not a support group. This is not a parenting skills class.
This is an ongoing interpersonal process group—a therapeutic space where parents come together to:
Understand how your early attachment experiences shape the parent you are today
Explore the patterns you're repeating (and the ones you're desperately trying to avoid)
Work through the anger, grief, and confusion about your own upbringing
Build genuine security in yourself so you can offer it to your children
Process the identity shifts of parenthood in real time with others who understand
The work happens through relationship—not lectures, not worksheets. You'll show up as yourself, share what's real, and discover how the ways you relate in the group mirror the ways you relate everywhere else. That's where the deepest change happens.
This group is for you if:
✓ You have young children (toddlers through elementary age) and the bandwidth for deeper work
✓ You catch yourself parenting on autopilot and want to understand why
✓ You're tired of surface-level parenting advice and ready for real transformation
✓ You want to heal intergenerational wounds, not just manage them
✓ You're willing to be vulnerable and do the uncomfortable work of growth
This group is NOT for you if:
✗ You're in survival mode with a newborn (you need rest and support, not process work)
✗ You're looking for quick fixes or behavior management techniques
✗ You're not ready to examine your own story and how it shapes your parenting
What makes this different?
Most parent groups focus on your child's behavior. This group focuses on you—your patterns, your wounds, your growth.
Here's what that looks like:
Instead of: "My 3-year-old won't listen"
We explore: "Why does my child's defiance trigger such rage in me? What did defiance mean in my childhood?"
Instead of: "How do I get my partner on the same page?"
We explore: "Why am I so terrified of conflict with my partner? What happened when my parents disagreed?"
Instead of: "I feel like a bad mom"
We explore: "Where did I learn that my worth depends on being perfect? What would it mean to let myself be human?"
This is the long game. You're not just changing your parenting—you're changing the legacy you pass down.
Group Details
When: Thursdays, 12:00-1:30pm Central Time
Where: Online via secure Zoom
Format: Ongoing (join anytime, stay as long as it serves you)
Cost: $60 per session
Size: 6-8 members
Facilitator: Sophie Abel, LCSW-S, CGP, PMH-C
Why this time? Mid-day works for parents with flexible schedules, remote workers who can block lunch, and parents whose kids are in school or childcare. It's after the morning chaos but before pickup time.
About the Facilitator
I'm Sophie Abel, and I specialize in attachment, trauma, and interpersonal process group therapy. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor (LCSW-S), Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP), and Perinatal Mental Health Specialist (PMH-C).
But more importantly: I'm a parent too. I know what it's like to hear your parent's words come out of your mouth. I know the grief of realizing you can't give your children what you didn't receive yourself—and the profound hope of discovering you can still grow that capacity now.
I facilitate groups using a Modern Analytic approach, which means I'm not here to tell you what to do or fix you. I'm here to help you understand yourself deeply, so you can make conscious choices instead of repeating unconscious patterns.
How to Join
Step 1: Email me to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation
Step 2: We'll talk about whether this group is a good fit for where you are right now
Step 3: If it feels right, I'll connect you with current members for a trial session
Your Questions Answered
Do I need to have experienced trauma to join?
Not capital-T trauma, no. But if you're human, you've experienced ruptures in early relationships that shaped you. That's enough.
What if I don't have "big" problems with my parents?
This isn't about blaming your parents or having a dramatic story. It's about understanding the subtle ways early experiences shape current patterns.
Will we talk about parenting strategies?
Sometimes, yes—but through the lens of why certain strategies trigger you or feel impossible. The focus is always on understanding yourself, not mastering techniques.
What if I can't make it every week?
Consistency matters in process groups, but life with kids is unpredictable. We work with what's real.
Is this only for mothers?
No! All parents welcome—mothers, fathers, non-binary parents, adoptive parents, foster parents. The work is about your attachment patterns, regardless of gender.
Your Growth will help your child’s growth.
The cycle doesn't have to continue. You can be the one who breaks it.