Parent Coaching
I offer parent coaching in person in Barre, Vermont, and via telehealth throughout Vermont and Maryland.
What Parent Coaching Looks Like
Parent coaching is with you, or with both parents, without your child in the room. We talk about what is getting under your skin in your interactions with your child, what you are finding hardest, and what is actually going well.
I focus a lot on connection and curiosity, and you will hear me use those two words often. Children listen and cooperate more when they feel respected, and when the adults around them are curious about what is driving a behavior rather than reaching straight for punishment or unintended shame. Much of our work is about building that stance in you, so it holds up in the moments when it is hardest.
Who This Helps
Parent coaching often runs alongside individual therapy for a child, teen, or young adult, though it does not have to. It helps parents dealing with behavior that has become difficult to manage, parents who are trying to make sense of a new mental health diagnosis for their child, and parents who simply feel out of their depth and want someone in their corner who has seen this before.
If you are not sure whether your situation calls for parent coaching, therapy for your child, or both, reach out and we can work that out together.
Common Questions
What does parent coaching actually look like?
We usually meet every other week, and most parents choose telehealth. Each session we check in on the highlights and lowlights since we last talked. We look at why the good moments went well, and what might be done differently in the harder ones, without shame attached to either.
I believe parents are doing the best they can with the tools they have and the reference point of how they were raised themselves. If reading is a useful way for you to learn, I will often recommend a book alongside our work.
What is the difference between parent coaching and family therapy?
Parent coaching focuses on the present and what comes next. We work on everyday interactions, boundaries, and specific challenges like tantrums, defiance, or a hard school transition. It is usually just you, without your child in the room, and it does not require a diagnosis.
Family therapy works differently. It usually involves several family members together, and it goes into longer-standing patterns, past hurt, and the dynamics that have built up over time.
If you are not sure which fits, that is a good thing to talk through rather than guess at. Sometimes the answer is both, and sometimes what looks like one turns out to be the other.
How do I help my child who does not want to go to therapy?
This is one of the most common reasons parents come to me, and the honest answer is more encouraging than most people expect. Your child does not have to be in a therapy room for things to get better.
When one person in a relationship changes how they respond, the other person has to respond differently too. That holds at any age, including with adult children. I have seen it work again and again across my years of practice. If you are willing to do things differently in order to help your child, that alone can shift things.
Can I use out-of-network insurance benefits for parent coaching?
It depends on your plan, and it is worth asking me directly rather than assuming either way. Coverage for this kind of work varies more than it does for standard therapy sessions. Bring it up when we talk and I will tell you plainly what is and is not possible.
Ready to talk?
If any of this sounds like where you are, reach out and we can figure out together whether parent coaching is the right fit.