We know that parenting doesn't come with a handbook.

Parenting children of any age comes with its fair share of challenges. Our psychologists are here to provide you with support and parenting strategies to effectively reduce misbehavior and improve your parent-child bond.  Parent coaching is appropriate for new parents, parents caring for a child with ADHD, anxiety, or other emotional-behavioral struggles, or parents who are just feeling overwhelmed and looking to learn more effective parenting strategies.

In working with a counselor, parents will learn how to effectively communicate and set appropriate limits with their children. Counselors will empower parents to learn and practice effective strategies such as empathy, disengaging from power struggles, and positive reinforcement plans. Parents will learn how to observe their child and identify possible reasons for misbehavior. 

With the support of a counselor, parents will implement specific skills and strategies such as praise, offering limited choices, positive time outs, active listening and collaborative problem solving.  Counselors will guide parents to provide consistent positive attention and quality, “in the moment” time with their children, by minimizing distractions and creating a calm, mindful household.  Parents will identify their child’s strengths and provide consistent encouragement, while avoiding negative reactions to misbehavior.  Our counselors can also provide guidance and specific solutions for concerns such as sibling rivalry, internet safety and appropriate household electronic use, co-parenting support, and bullying/cyberbullying.

It is common for parents to get stuck in a guilt and self-blame cycle as parents, which can really get in the way. Our counselors are here to normalize and validate these feelings of guilt, while encouraging parents to focus on self-forgiveness and instilling confidence and resilience in their kids. Counselors will also encourage parents to develop a solid personal self-care plan, including stress management strategies such as regularly scheduled time with friends, exercise, and maintaining a sense of humor and hopefulness. 

Parent coaching can lead to multiple benefits for your child, including improved academic and social/emotional functioning, fewer behavioral problems, and increased resiliency and self-esteem.  Most importantly, insight and strategies gained from parent coaching will create lasting positive changes that will greatly enhance your relationship and bond with your child.