Parent Counseling for Expats in Italy

Raising children abroad can be rewarding—and really hard

Parent counseling with Christian Bergamaschi, Licensed Psychologist

You can love your life in Italy and still find parenting here difficult.

Perhaps you’re raising your children without grandparents or your usual support network nearby. Maybe you and your partner have different ideas about discipline. Perhaps you’re navigating more than one language or culture at home.

Or maybe your child’s behaviour has become difficult to understand, and you’re not sure what to try next.

Online parent counseling in English for international parents living in Italy can help you understand what is happening, respond with greater confidence, and build a stronger relationship with your child.

When Parenting Happens Far From Home

Parenting can feel very different when you’re raising children abroad.

Without your usual support network, everyday challenges can become heavier. You might find yourself thinking:

• “Why does every evening turn into an argument?”
• “Am I being too strict—or not strict enough?”
• “Why do I keep raising my voice?”
• “Is this normal behaviour for their age?”
• “I wish my family were here to help.”

You may also be dealing with unfamiliar schools, healthcare systems, social expectations, or the practical demands of living in another country.

Parenting counseling gives you space to step back, understand what is happening, and consider different ways of responding.

Having difficulties as a parent doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent. Often, it means you’re a parent dealing with a lot.

Parenting Across Cultures

International families often navigate different ideas about what good parenting looks like.

You and your partner may have grown up with different expectations around independence, respect, discipline, or emotional expression. You may also wonder how to help your child develop a sense of identity and belonging across cultures.

The goal isn’t to choose one culture over another. It is to understand the different influences on your family and develop an approach that fits your values, circumstances, and your child’s needs.

Understanding Your Child’s Behaviour

Tantrums, anxiety, withdrawal, separation difficulties, sleep problems, school conflicts, sibling rivalry, or repeated battles around boundaries can leave parents wondering what is really going on.

For example, a child who repeatedly refuses school may be struggling with separation, anxiety, friendships, or a difficult transition. A child who constantly challenges limits may need both emotional understanding and consistent boundaries.

Understanding behaviour doesn’t mean allowing everything. It means becoming curious about what your child may be communicating while still providing appropriate limits.

When You React in Ways You Don’t Want To

Sometimes you may notice yourself raising your voice, becoming controlling, withdrawing, or reacting much more strongly than you intended.

Parenting can activate our own fears, expectations, and experiences from childhood. When we’re exhausted or overwhelmed, it can become even harder to respond as we would like.

Counseling can help you understand these reactions without judging yourself and create more choice in how you respond.

Parenting Stress and Parental Burnout

Relocation, demanding work, limited support, relationship difficulties, poor sleep, and the constant demands of parenting can gradually lead to exhaustion.

You may feel increasingly irritable, emotionally distant, guilty, or simply unable to cope.

Sometimes what looks like a parenting problem is also connected to parental burnout, anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, or the stress of adapting to life abroad.

Parenting Counseling can help you understand these factors and find more sustainable ways of coping.

Supporting you in a non-judgmental way is at the core of parent counseling

There is no single parenting technique that works for every family.

Our work may focus on your child’s needs, boundaries, communication, family dynamics, cultural differences, disagreements between parents, or your own emotional responses.

I don’t approach parent counseling as telling you what kind of parent you should be or what you should do. Instead, we explore what is happening in your family and what might help you respond with greater awareness and confidence.

My approach is rooted in client-centered psychological counseling, alongside training in Positive Discipline and body-oriented and experiential approaches. Where appropriate, this may include Brainspotting.

Parent Counseling, Parent Coaching or Child Therapy?

Parent counseling can include practical exploration of parenting challenges, but as a licensed psychologist my work also considers emotional responses, relationships, family dynamics, and psychological factors.

Sessions take place directly with the parent. If your child needs individual psychological assessment or therapy, we can discuss appropriate options and I can refer you to the appropriate professional if needed.

Parenting in a Multilingual Family

Raising children with more than one language can be enriching as well as challenging.

You may have questions about language at home, cultural identity, or different expectations between parents.

There is no single formula for multilingual or multicultural parenting. Counseling can help you explore what works for your particular family.

Why Work With Me?

I’m Christian Bergamaschi, Licensed Psychologist in Italy and former expats working online with international professionals.

I work with parents blending Dan Siegel’s Interpersonal Neurobiology approach to parenting as well as Positive Discipline taking into considerations the relational, cognitive, emotional, bodily and somatic aspects of the perosn as a whole related to the environment.

Having lived and worked in different European cities, I understand some of the challenges of adapting to a different culture, language, and support network.

After teaching at London South Bank University I decided to help international professionas and parents in Italy.

My role isn’t to tell you how to parent. It is to help you understand your family, yourself, and your child more clearly.

Sessions & Fees

• Free 15-minute consultation
• Individual parenting counseling: €85 per session
• Format: Online sessions in English

Frequently Asked Questions

What is parent counseling?
Parent counseling is psychological support for parents experiencing difficulties, uncertainty, stress, or conflict around parenting. It can address child behaviour, boundaries, communication, relationships, and parental stress.

Is parent counseling the same as parent coaching?
They can overlap, but counseling with a psychologist can explore both practical parenting questions and the emotional and psychological factors affecting family life.

Do I need to bring my child?
No. Parenting counseling takes place directly with the parent.

Can you help with parental burnout?
Yes. Counseling can explore parental exhaustion, irritability, guilt, emotional distance, and the factors contributing to burnout.

Do you work with expat and international families in Italy?
Yes. I work with international clients and families living in Italy, including parents dealing with relocation, cultural differences, multilingual households, and limited support networks.

Can parenting counseling help with tantrums or difficult behaviour?
It can help you understand possible factors behind your child’s behaviour and develop ways of combining connection, communication, and appropriate boundaries.

What if my partner and I disagree about parenting?
Counseling can provide space to understand different parenting styles and values and work toward approaches that are more manageable for your family.

How many sessions will I need?
There is no fixed number. Some parents seek support for a specific situation, while others prefer to explore longer-standing patterns or ongoing parenting stress.

You Don’t Have to Be a Perfect Parent

You don’t need to have all the answers, stay calm all the time, or recreate the way you were raised.

You can learn to understand your child’s needs while also understanding your own.

If parenting has become harder than you expected, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Let’s talk about what’s happening and whether working together could be helpful.
No obligation. Just an initial conversation.