What to Expect with Parent Coaching

Parent coaching is personalized to meet your needs however, collaboration occurs within a structured framework.  My role is not to tell you what to do, instead it is partner with you as you gain insight into what action you need to take. 

Assessment

After the initial consultation, you will complete an assessment.  The assessment is aimed at identifying your strengths and areas for growth.  It serves to establish a realistic view of current challenges, family stressors, and other factors that may be impacting your parenting.  In addition, the assessment will help us pinpoint what is going well in the family so that can be leveraged to accelerate progress.

Holistic approach

Your role as a parent is not performed in a vacuum.  Your ability to be an effective parent is intricately interconnected with other areas of your life. As part of the assessment process, we will examine areas that contribute to overall well-being including relationships, physical health, stress management, and opportunities for rest and fun. You will gain insight into how an area that is out of balance impacts your ability to achieve your parenting goals.

Goal setting and action steps

Goal setting is at the heart of the coaching process.  We will work together to identify realistic, achievable goals to address the challenges you are facing and to foster growth. Action steps to achieve these goals will be defined.  With regular check-ins you will feel supported and motivated to stay on track.  Of course, we know life happens.  During sessions we will discuss barriers to achieving your goals and develop contingency plans, or make modifications as needed.

Tasks between sessions

The time between sessions is equally important as the time we spend together in sessions. You will actively engage in implementing the strategies and action steps discussed in the session. Your commitment to making changes during this period is essential to the success of the process.

To maximize the benefit from each session, you will be asked to complete a pre-session/pre-call form at least 1 day before our scheduled meeting.  This form will be used as the starting point for discussions during the session. Session discussions will revolve around goals and action steps that were decided on in the previous session. 

Education and skill building

I will use my extensive experience as a child therapist to offer guidance on child development, emotional regulation, and behavior management.  My attachment-based approach will provide insight as to why strengthening the parent-child relationship is pivotal for effective parenting.  Strategies, interventions and techniques will be tailored to your needs. We may role play more effective communication techniques, or you may be asked to do a special activity with your child between coaching sessions.