the radical center

When parents are concerned about a child, parent coaching can help parents learn and explore ways to support their child’s growth. For children and young adolescents I prefer working with parents rather than working directly with the child, even in a family setting, because parents are the main source of moral authority for the young person and have the responsibility for setting limits and guiding the child’s development. Adolescents go through phases and experience changes in themselves that lead to identity questioning as a part of their normal development, and if parents are able to calmly and confidently provide boundaries and reassurance, they can help prevent the child from spiraling into confusion and despair.

When parents access resources like parent coaching they can bring tools back to the family without pathologizing the child or placing too much emphasis to the child’s presenting concern. Doing this work out of the child’s presence is helpful because parents need a place to sort through their own confusion and uncertainty, and when a child’s problem is rooted in anxiety about their identity and future, seeing parents uncertain or anxious can add to their confusion. Additionally, focusing on the particular manifestation(s) of the child’s anxiety with the child present can lead to the reinforcement of that particular idiom in the child’s life.

Collaborating with a parenting coach can help parents with setting limits on technology, building healthy family and individual habits, and guiding their child toward independence and self-reliance in a loving and supportive way. If you are a parent interested in working together please reach out to me.