Parenting asks us to fill many roles in our children’s lives. Provider, nurturer, advisor, friend, observer, authority figure, confidante, tutor, the list goes on and on. Often times these roles conflict with one another. No doubt every parent has experienced the sense of being pulled in opposite directions, unsure of which role to step into at any given moment.

The struggle over which parenting role to fill is complicated further by the fast-paced, permissive world our children confront every day. A daily barrage of social and emotional forces await kids at school, among friends and peers, on the sports field, and without exception, at home as well. The added impact of access to technology further serves as a layer of complication to effectively parenting our kids.

Parent coaching allows you, as the parent, a safe, non-judgmental place to explore ways in which your parenting approach may not be serving as a solution to support the specific needs of your child. Most often, parents seeking coaching are facing challenges, and seeking professional assistance, but are not in crisis when receiving coaching. Your clinician will work with you to identify areas that you would like to work on, and also encourage further development of parenting practices that are working in your home.

Together, you will build on your strengths as a parent to improve communication, problem-solving strategies, and conflict resolution skills between you and your child. Your clinician can help you to better develop and understand realistic expectations of your child’s behavior based on development and temperament, and will provide consistent encouragement, mentoring, and positive reinforcement to increase your confidence as a parent and improve the quality of the relationship between you and your child.