ABOUT
The PARENT HARBOUR
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Helping stressed-out parents at breaking point,
reconnect with what’s important to them.
THE JOURNEY
Parenting impacts everything in your life, your outlook and your mental health. I’ve spoken to many friends and clients who claim they can’t remember what their life was like before their children came along. But it’s not always rosy.
As a parent who’s also struggled, I understand the guilt, the frustration, the sheer exhaustion that makes you want to give up and walk out.
The Parent Harbour was born to help parents who feel like they’re failing at home, work and life. Offering them support to feel calmer, more confident and to get back to the best version of themselves. Giving them time and the resources to put their mental well-being first so they can help their children be the best version of themselves too.
Without the right support and resources, that might be family, emotional resilience, childcare or many other things, parenting can feel like the loneliest place in the world. But it doesn’t have to. There are ways to bring joy back into your life, to regain your sense of self and to enjoy it and my team and I are here to guide you to that place.
My Story
I’m Dr Alice Brown, founder of The Parent Harbour. To me, this isn’t just a business. It’s something my experience has driven me to do in order to help other parents out there, like me.
Having experienced trauma in my early childhood, I struggled with my mental health for a lot of my adult life. Having my daughter in 2013 brought me so much joy and a sense of purpose but it also raised issues I thought I’d dealt with. Day by day I muddled through, and as she got older things felt easier. That all started to change in 2019 when I had my son, and then in 2020 when the pandemic hit I struggled to cope.
With lockdowns, isolated from my wider support network my world became my house. I felt alone, cut off and started to withdraw. The more my mental health declined the more I withdrew and became disconnected from everything around me.
To anyone looking in, I was struggling but okay. I functioned. I got dressed when I needed to. Spoke when I needed to. Worked when I needed to, and did what I needed to for the kids. Internally was a different matter. I felt completely overwhelmed, empty and alone.
By 2021 I was completely burnt out but, desperate not to let anyone down, ploughed on. I couldn’t give myself permission to stop, rest and restore. I did what needed to be done and nothing more. I knew something wasn’t right but I didn’t have the mental headspace to see what was right in front of me, or to really listen to my loved ones.
In April I finally sought professional help. I forced myself to lay everything on the table and opened my eyes to what I hadn’t allowed myself to see.
I won’t lie, the rest of 2021 was tough.
I battled with internal pushback when it came to putting myself, my needs and my care first. There was a lot to work through - self doubt, criticism, high expectations. But with the help of my therapist, my coach and my family, I finally came up for air and felt well enough to start a new job in November.
My journey still continues. 2022 brought hope and a burning desire to help other parents struggling with burnout who feel too afraid or unsure where to ask for help. I’ve been there, and at times I’m still there, and I know that I can use my experience, knowledge and training to bring hope to other families.
Meet OUR Team
Just like you can’t parent without a wider support network, The Parent Harbour needs its team of amazing people.
Amelia - Assistant Psychologist
Having worked for over seven years within special schools, the NHS and local authorities. Amelia has a great deal of experience supporting children, young people and their families with complex educational, health and social care needs.
Her approach is very open-minded and non-judgemental and focuses on individuals.
Fay - Assistant Psychologist
Working to complete her masters in Psychology, Fay offers assistance to parents, students and children.
Having worked in a secondary school as a Social, Emotional and Mental Health Assistant she’s passionate about positive psychology and supporting children and parents by improving their wellbeing. Outside of work Fay loves being outdoors and surfing, wild swimming and camping.
WHY THE PARENT HARBOUR IS DIFFERENT
We truly want The Parent Harbour to be your safe space. Your port in a storm.
A place for parents from all walks of life to share their experiences and create a village of support. But that’s not the only thing that makes us unique.
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There’s no one-size-fits-all here. Every family is different, every parent is different, every child is different. That’s why our approach is always different.
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I’ve been there and done that. I bring my lived experience and my years of training to benefit you.
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Connection, compassion and collaboration are my core values and they flow through everything I do.
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I genuinely want the best for the parents and children I work with. I want them to be happy, successful and to thrive.
MY EXPERIENCE
I’m a HCPC registered and BPS chartered psychologist. My 15+ years experience is in supporting children and families, particularly through spending over 10 years working as a local authority child and educational psychologist.
My areas of specialism are supporting families of
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Children who have experienced trauma and adversity, including fostered and adopted children,
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Highly anxious children, including children with autism (verbal and nonverbal) and extreme demand avoidance (PDA), and
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Children who express their big emotions using challenging and violent behaviours.
I put children and families at the centre of all I do and am passionate about supporting parents to help their children reach their potential and achieve their aspirations.