What is Parent Coaching? When is it time to seek Parent Coaching?
Our clinicians conduct Parent Coaching sessions to help parents build and strengthen practical parenting skills to parent more effectively and create healthier family dynamics.
Parent Coaching sessions are beneficial for parents who need support developing plans to better address unwanted behaviors while improving the relationship between parent and child(ren). Having a parenting coach means having an advocate in your corner, and someone to help you feel supported and empowered.
It is a myth that scheduling Parent Coaching sessions means a parent has failed in any way. Parent Coaching is an excellent option for those seeking guidance grounded in researched best practices.
Parents schedule Parent Coaching sessions as a preventative measure to strengthen their parenting skills, as recommended by a therapist, or when a parent starts to feel overwhelmed or lost with their child's behaviors and the family dynamic. It is never too late to ask for help!
Can Parent Coaching be done in conjunction with my child's therapy?
Yes, while not required, it is often very helpful to have Parent Coaching services alongside your child's therapy. Working together, both services address the full family dynamic, giving parents the tools to reinforce progress at home while your child builds skills in session.
What to Expect in a Parent Coaching Session
Session length: Most Parent Coaching sessions run 45-60 minutes, giving you and your clinician enough time to review what's happening at home, work through specific challenges, and build on strategies from previous sessions.
Your first session: The first session is primarily a chance for your clinician to get to know you, your child, and your family dynamic. You'll talk through your concerns, what behaviors you're seeing, and what you've already tried. There's no judgment, only a genuine effort to understand your situation so the right plan can be built for your family.
Evidence-based approaches: Our clinicians draw from well-researched frameworks tailored to your child's age and your family's specific needs. These include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles to help you understand the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, including both yours and your child's
Behavior Parent Training (BPT), a structured, skills-based approach shown to be highly effective for managing challenging behaviors in children and adolescents
Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and other communication-focused frameworks when the goal is to strengthen the parent-child relationship alongside behavior management
Ready to get started? Schedule your first parent coaching session today.
How Do I Know That My Child Won't Just Outgrow These Behaviors?
Children usually engage in unwanted behaviors because they are benefiting them in some way. Sometimes a child will "outgrow" a certain behavior, however, they will typically replace it with another unwanted behavior if the root cause has not been addressed.
Parent Coaching can help identify the root cause of the behaviors and help develop the skills to teach your child more appropriate avenues to express their feelings and needs.
Co-Parent Coaching: What is it and how is it different from Parent Coaching?
Co-Parent Coaching is an effective tool to help navigate a healthy co-parenting relationship and stable environments for children post divorce.
Co-Parent Coaching helps both parents navigate the complexities of a child living in more than one environment. It can help when parents run into disagreements on what is best for their children and help find common ground on parenting styles for children to have their needs met and thrive, regardless of the changes around them.
Just like individual Parent Coaching, Co-Parent sessions can provide both parents with tools and evidence based best practices to everyday problems.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs there is and asking for support is a sign of strength, not failure. Whether you're looking to strengthen your parenting skills, navigate co-parenting challenges, or get ahead of behaviors before they escalate, our clinicians are here to help.
Our Buffalo Grove parenting coaches serve families throughout the Chicago suburbs, offering both in-person and telehealth sessions so you can get the support you need in the way that works best for your family.