Did one sibling seem to get away with everything while you bore the blame? This article explains the golden child and scapegoat dynamic, and what it means for you now.

You can grieve someone who hasn't died. This article explores the particular loss of growing up with an emotionally immature parent - and why it matters.

Not sure what therapy for this actually looks like? Amy Launder explains what the work involves and what to expect, in plain, honest language.

If you struggle to hold consistent limits with your child… or if you find yourself either too rigid or too lenient, you’re not failing.

If you find yourself constantly second-guessing your parenting decisions, feeling guilty for losing patience, or lying awake wondering if you’ve “ruined” your child’s day… you’re not alone.

You’re in the kitchen, your child starts crying - and suddenly you feel it. That rising heat in your chest. The overwhelm. The urge to shut it down or walk away.

If you were raised by emotionally immature parents, you didn’t get a healthy template for love, boundaries, or emotional regulation. Now, you’re trying to break that cycle while still healing from it - and that’s more than just parenting. That’s recovery work.

We all mess up. We all get triggered, say things w don’t mean, or fall into old habits - especially when we’re healing from relational trauma. But what happens next matters more than perfection: it’s about repair.

Do you often feel guilty for saying no, setting a boundary, or prioritising your needs - even when it’s entirely reasonable?

Have you ever found yourself carefully choosing every word, rehearsing conversations in your head, or panicking at the thought of someone being upset with you - even when you’ve done nothing wrong?

We talk about “boundaries” a lot these days - especially in therapy circles. But despite how common the word has become, many people I work with still feel unsure about what boundaries actually are, let alone how to recognise or set them in their own lives.

There’s a sentence I often hear in therapy, usually accompanied by a mix of guilt and confusion:

“But they’re still my mum.”

“But he’s still my dad.”

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking “I’m not good enough” or “I don’t trust myself to make the right decision,”you’re not alone.

We all have an inner critic. That little voice in your head that says, “You’re not doing enough,” or “Why can’t you just get it right?” It shows up when you’re already feeling low, or when you’re about to take a risk that matters. It piles on when you’re struggling. And sometimes, it sounds so familiar, so automatic, that you hardly notice it’s there.

Growing up with emotionally immature parents often means growing up with some confusing, painful beliefs about yourself.

Shame is one of those feelings that can stick to you like glue - quiet, heavy, and hard to name.

Realising that you experienced emotional neglect growing up can bring up a lot of mixed emotions; relief, sadness, anger, even confusion.

You might find yourself wondering, “Now that I know… what do I do with this?”

When we think about childhood emotional neglect, it’s easy to focus only not he past. But the trust is, its effects often follow us into adulthood - especially into our relationships.

Emotional neglect can be incredibly difficult to recognise, especially because it’s about what didn’t happen. You may have grown up in a house that seemed loving, with no major problems - yet still feel like something vital was missing.

When we talk about childhood neglect, most people imagine the obvious; not being fed, clothed, or cared for.

But emotional neglect can be much more subtle. And because it’s so invisible, many people don’t even realise it happened to them - let alone anyone else.