Welcome to The Centered Parent!
Hi there! My name is Hayley Gallagher, MA, AT, LPC, and I am the creator of The Centered Parent, a strength-based parenting blog for busy parents (especially moms, because I am a mom) who are striving to be their best selves.
At The Centered Parent, being your best means taking care of yourself, teaching & loving your kids, promoting family bonding & wellness, and enjoying the parenthood journey.
About Our Content
I created The Centered Parent in order to share what I’ve learned along my motherhood journey, all through a lens of mental health, child development, and family wellness. All of my content is written from the perspective of a therapist mom with experience in art therapy, family therapy, and supervising and training other mental health professionals.
My well-researched content features a variety of topics on the joys and challenges of mom life, but my primary focus includes the following:
More About The Centered Parent
We are an online community of parents, caregivers, and mental health professionals who accept, honor, and engage in the daily struggle to stay centered.
You will find well-researched articles on topics including parenting challenges, self-care, family fun activities, pregnancy and baby, therapist-recommended products & services, gift guides, and so much more – everything you need to get centered, enjoy your family, and be at your best.
Our Guiding Principle
The Centered Parent is not a descriptor for the perfect parent. There is no message here that parents should be calm, cool, and collected at all times.
Quite the opposite, in fact!
It’s OK to want balance, peace, and happiness – and it’s also OK to not always have those things. It’s an ongoing process. Staying centered and creating balance is about the journey, not the destination.
For it’s in the struggle to find balance that we learn and grow.
Parenting Support When Times Gets Tough
At The Centered Parent, we know that nurturing kids into happy, independent adults is hard work.
Our site was designed with you in mind, delivering value in the areas that interest you most:
- Nonjudgmental, strength-based support
- Dependable, research-driven information on parenting
- Useful parenting tools, product recommendations, and resources
- Family fun activities that promote development, creativity, and bonding
Life’s a balancing act, find your center.
Our Mission Statement
To provide dependable information, quality resources, and strength-based encouragement to parents, caregivers, and mental health professionals, in order to positively impact parents & families.
About Me
My name is Hayley Gallagher, MA, AT, LPC, creator of The Centered Parent.
I am a licensed professional counselor, art therapist, and certified family-based therapist, with 15+ years of experience in the mental health field.
I am also a sleep-deprived, often-sarcastic, working mom who does not always follow her own advice.
After the birth of my daughter, I was overcome with the delights of new parenthood. But I was also overwhelmed by the challenges that came with such a major life transition.
I quickly learned just how crucial self-care strategies, good resources, and validating support were to my parenting journey.
Years of experience as a therapist had not fully prepared me for the challenges of raising my own child, and I was desperate for more information. I’ve always been a lover of research and so I immersed myself in blogs, books, studies, and parenting frameworks. I found the process extremely helpful and enlightening.
There is a lot out there!
And so that is why I created The Centered Parent. I wanted others to benefit from what I learned, sharing only the good stuff I compiled along the way.
Today, delivering quality content is my main focus, and I strive to practice what I preach. It’s not always easy, and like all parents, I make mistakes. But, I remind myself that mistakes are learning opportunities and I keep trying. I practice good self-care as much as I can to stay centered and be at my best – both professionally and personally.
It’s a journey – an ongoing struggle – and one that I am happy to share with you.