Your reactions sometimes feel a lot younger than the situation itself seems to warrant
Larchmont, NY • In-Person & Online Across NY, NJ & PA
Inner Child Work and Reparenting Therapy
Therapy for the needs that went unmet in childhood, and for learning to meet them yourself without the running commentary.
Talia DiPietro, LCSW
What Is Inner Child Work?
Inner child work is therapy for needs that went unmet when you were young and have stayed that way since. It gives you language for the reactions that arrive much younger than you are: shame flooding in over something small, panic when somebody seems disappointed.
Reparenting is the other half of it. It means learning to give yourself the response you needed and did not get, which in practice looks less like affirmations and more like noticing a need and not dismissing it. Repetition is the method.
It tends to suit people whose self-criticism is far harsher than anything they would say to another person, and whose reactions in fairly ordinary situations feel badly out of scale with whatever is happening.
a personal note
Re-Meet Your Childhood Needs
I’m Talia DiPietro, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Larchmont, New York, and unmet childhood needs come up constantly in the work I do.
Some people find this language helpful and some find that it makes them cringe. Both reactions are fine. If the framing does not suit you, we find new words that do.
what we work on
Does the Reaction Feel Younger Than You Are?
- Your reaction to small things feels much younger than your actual age
- The voice in your head is crueller than you would be to anyone
- Comfort from other people is easier to give than it is to receive
- You know what you needed as a child and cannot provide it now
- Being cared for makes you uncomfortable in a way you cannot explain
- You are hard on yourself for having any needs in the first place
how it works
How I Approach This Work
Plain language throughout. If the inner child framing helps you, we use it. If it makes you uncomfortable, we do the same work with vocabulary that suits you better.
We identify the actual need. The useful question is what was needed and never arrived, because that is far more specific and workable than a general sense of deprivation.
Self-criticism gets examined. The harsh internal voice usually belongs to somebody, and working out whose it originally was tends to loosen its authority over you.
Receiving is practised. Many clients can give care easily and cannot take it at all, so tolerating being cared for becomes part of the work rather than a side effect.
Grounded, not performative. This is not visualization exercises for their own sake. Everything connects back to something specific in how your week is currently going.
what we work on
What I Help With
Harsh self-criticism. Work on the internal voice that is a great deal crueller to you than you would ever be to anybody else at all.
Unmet childhood needs. Identifying what was needed and never arrived, and what providing it for yourself now would involve in practice.
Reactions that feel young. Support when your response to ordinary situations feels out of scale, and a good deal younger than you now are.
Difficulty receiving care. Practice at tolerating comfort and help from other people, rather than only ever being the one who gives it out.
Self-compassion in practice. Building a kinder internal response that does not depend on you first believing that you deserve to have it.
Shame carried from childhood. Work on the settled sense that something about you was wrong right from the beginning and still is now.
is this a fit?
This Therapy Is for You, If:
You would never speak to another person in the way that you routinely speak to yourself
You want grounded work on this rather than exercises that end up feeling performative
Getting started is simple
How to Get Started
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01
Book a Free Consultation
Use the contact form or call 929-400-7783 to set up a free 20-minute phone or video consultation.
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02
Talk It Through
We go over what brought you here and whether I am the right fit. If so, I send consent forms and we schedule.
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03
Begin the Work
We map out what is driving the pattern, agree together on where to start, and work at a pace you set.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is inner child work in therapy, exactly?
It is therapy for needs that were not met in childhood and are still shaping how you respond as an adult. The framing gives you language for reactions that arrive much younger than you are, like shame over a small mistake or panic when somebody seems disappointed in you.
What does it mean to reparent yourself as an adult?
It means learning to give yourself the response you needed and did not receive. In practice that is less about affirmations and more about noticing a need, not dismissing it immediately, and doing something reasonable about it. It is a skill built by repetition.
Does inner child work really help, or is it a trend?
The language became popular recently, but the underlying idea is long-standing across several therapy traditions. The framing matters. Whether it helps you depends largely on whether it fits, and plenty of clients get the same result using entirely different vocabulary.
Is inner child work different from regular therapy?
It is an approach used within therapy rather than a separate treatment. In my practice it sits alongside work on trauma, attachment, and family of origin rather than replacing any of it. The framing is a tool, and I do not treat it as the whole method.
What if this language makes me uncomfortable?
That is a common reaction and it is not a problem. Tell me and we use different words for the same work. The point is addressing the unmet need and the self-criticism attached to it, and nothing about that requires you to adopt vocabulary you dislike.
Do you take insurance, and how do I get started?
I am out of network and do not bill insurance directly, though I provide superbills you can submit for reimbursement. My fee is $275 and I offer 5-session packages based on sliding scale needs. To start, call or use the contact form. I respond within 24 to 48 hours.
Ready when you are
Ready to start inner child work and reparenting therapy?
Reach out for a free 20-minute consultation — no pressure, just a conversation.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911. Therapy is not an emergency service.