Parenting a child, teen or young adult in today’s world can be a challenge. Parenting when your child, regardless of age, is also struggling with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, an eating disorder or trauma is even more difficult. Parenting strategies that might work well for a youth/young adult without depression may not be helpful for the youth/young adult with depression or other disorder or a youth who is neurodivergent.
Research shows that when parents are involved in treatment for their offspring that the interventions are likely to be more effective. Parent coaching is one way to be involved. Coaching is about learning, discovering and using parenting strategies that best fit with your child/teen/young adult developing and growing with mental wellness.
Parent Coaching overview
Benefits of the Program
- Likely to improve treatment outcomes
- Greater understanding of areas and patterns of conflict and how to address them
- Greater understanding of how the anxiety, depression and other disorders can show up in daily interactions
- Increased knowledge about ways of responding that facilitate recovery and wellness
- Decreased stress for the family
Steps in the Program
1. Getting on the Same Page
Individualized parent coaching means understanding the challenges you are facing in your interactions with your child. In this initial step, your therapist will complete a history and assessment of the parenting challenges you are facing. What interactions usually lead to conflict? What are the strengths of the relationship? Are both parents on the same page? This will include your values as a parent.
2. Goal Setting
After the assessment, you’ll work together with your therapist to set your goals for your sessions and how you’ll evaluate your progress. You’ll set a date to evaluate your progress toward your goals.
3. Parent Coaching Sessions and Action Plan
Specific problematic interactions that you are experiencing can be addressed. After you describe the specific situation, your therapist will use (and teach you) chain analysis to help you look at the factors that contribute to unwanted conflicts and reactions. Together you’ll identify ways more effective ways of responding. Relevant skills can be taught, such as skills of emotion regulation skills like validation, and benign interpretation. Tracking your progress in using new skills and behaviors will help you make the changes that get you closer to your goals and values as a parent.
Cost
The cost of sessions depends on the rate your therapist charges (See About Our Team).