What is Parent Coaching? Is it like counseling or therapy?
Parent coaching is a form of support that helps parents develop effective parenting strategies, improve their relationship with their children, and address specific challenges they may face in raising their kids. It differs from counseling or therapy in several key ways:
1. Focus and Goals:
Parent Coaching: Primarily aims to equip parents with practical tools and techniques to enhance their parenting skills. It often focuses on present and future actions and behaviors, helping parents set and achieve specific goals for their family life. With that said, a key discussion in Parent coaching surrounds a parent's triggers and situations that create very poignant response patterns. A coach and client will dig deeper, with the client's consent, to determine a root associated with the trigger that is often connected to that parent's childhood. A coach provides deeply empathic support for parents to be heard and seen, in tandem with accountability.
Counseling/Therapy: Typically involves exploring deeper emotional and psychological issues. It can address past traumas, mental health conditions, and emotional difficulties associated with specific life situations.
2. Approach:
Parent Coaching: Usually structured around specific topics such as discipline strategies, communication skills, balancing work and family life, and addressing behavioral issues in children. Skilled and well-educated Coaches provide scientific and evidence-based guidance, feedback, and support to help parents implement new strategies effectively. Many parents may feel relatability with parenting coaches.
Counseling/Therapy: Often exploratory and less structured. Therapists may use various therapeutic techniques to help individuals work through more complex psychological issues.
3. Delivery:
Parent Coaching: Goal-oriented, with sessions focusing on specific challenges or skill-building. Often tangible tools are provided each session that support parents with integration and implementation.
Counseling/Therapy: Depends on the issues being addressed. It often involves ongoing sessions to work through deeper, more complex issues.
4. Context and Setting:
Parent Coaching: May occur in various settings, including in-person, over the phone, or online. It is typically more flexible and informal.
Counseling/Therapy: Usually takes place in a clinical or therapeutic setting, often within a firm time frame.
Overall, while both parent coaching and therapy aim to support and improve the well-being of individuals and families, they do so in different ways. Parent coaching focuses on providing practical actionable support, while still holding empathic space for clients to process emotions, and by providing strategies for effective parenting; while counseling and therapy delve into emotional and psychological issues that may require professional mental health intervention.
This leads to the next question:
Why would a parent need a "Parent Coach?"
Shouldn't a parent just know how to do all this?
And what about if... I don't really have any parenting challenges, is parent coaching for me?
Do I have to do any courses or something? If I do a coaching program that involves a course or something, what will I get out of it?
How are Ashley's Parent Coaching Sessions and Courses different than other parenting programs?
So...Now what?
Some people falsely believe that just because you can biologically 'have a kid', this should automatically make you equipped to raise self-assured, self-confident and resilient kids...
I have had two kids. And I assure you, despite all the education and life experience I had 'til date, I wasn't well-equipped when my first child was born, and I felt even less equipped when I had two under the same roof...
Let us not fall into the limiting thinking that "we should know" what to do at every twist and turn of parenting life...
It takes a village...
We need to get a license to drive a car, or a certificate for pretty much anything these days.... but not for the hardest job in the world - parenting!
My coaching program for parents is world-class! I have been trained by the Jai Institute for Parenting, as well as the likes of some of the world's leading experts including Dr. Stephen Porges, Dr. Peter Levine, Irene Lyon and more.
If you’re committed to empowering your child and yourself as their parent, you can book a Free Parent Consult with me now.
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