Anecdotally I could talk all day long about the positive impact and importance of parent involvement in treatment and fine tuning our parenting skills through parent sessions. These are some of my favorite sessions because you can make so much change in a family, in a relationship, and for a child by changing the way we parent. Additionally, I personally have a history of benefiting from family therapy and parent coaching. Some of my parent clients laugh when I tell them this, but I was a difficult kid. Teenager, specifically. I screamed a lot, said really nasty things to my mom, was strong willed, wanted to do the opposite of what was asked of me just on principle alone, you name it. All this stellar behavior at home earned me weekly family therapy with my parents- just imagine the three of us squished shoulder to shoulder on a loveseat meant for two people from 6-7:30 every Wednesday night followed by an ice cream cone on the way home to celebrate our mere survival of the hour. While I hated this weekly date, it changed the landscape of our family. My parents, both in front of me and privately, received parent coaching to teach them different ways of parenting their child who did not conform to traditional parenting. From there, even though I was not willing to change at home, they changed our family at home by changing how they interacted with me. Research backs this up as well, that changing one person in the family, will change the interaction of the whole family. Studies have shown that parental engagement has a strong correlation to positive mental health treatment outcomes (SAMHSA, 2009). It is amazing to me that parents, by the simple act of engaging in parent work, are changing the prognosis of their child who may never cast a shadow on our door.
So lets do a deep dive, what is parent coaching?
Parent coaching is when one or both parents (or any primary caregiver) participate in sessions in an effort to develop better skills related to parenting. Your coach or therapist can use psychoeducation and evidence-based strategy to navigate family issues related to parenting and children.
Parent coaching can be a helpful addition for any parent, step-parent, or caregiver who needs support to navigate their child’s specialized behavior and needs. It can occur in-person, online, or over the phone, including one or both parents (separately or together). During a session, our therapists provide psychoeducation, specific skills, and offer strategies and support. It is beneficial to parents who need assistance to increase family functioning and improve communication. Our goal is for parent coaching is to provide short term, time-limited support and equip parents with sustainable skills to increase family functioning and parenting confidence with challenging kids.
If parent coaching sounds like it would be a good fit for your family, reach out via the button below to get more information. In addition to private sessions for parent coaching, we also offer Brave Parenting, an on demand course for parents of emotionally explosive children and an ongoing parent support group.
Recent Comments