Frequently Asked Questions
How does Parent Coaching work?
Parent coaching can take many different forms. There are some who focus on mother’s physical and mental health, others who prefer to guide you on a journey of self-discovery. With me, parent coaching is all about providing concrete things that you, as a parent, can do to either remove a stressor from your life or to develop a practice and habit that you would like to have as you raise your child. Each session will begin with you outlining your reality - the 1-to-1 nature of my coaching means there is no one-size-fits-all - every session is tailored to you, from the beginning of our journey together through the incremental stages along the way.
Once you’ve made the decision to seek support to make a change or to find out how to establish a positive routine that works for you, your child and your family, reach out to me for a free 15 minute chat. During this time you can see if my coaching style is a good fit for you.
Why choose me?
So often people are surrounded by those who provide well-meaning advice, mirroring your own perspectives and never challenging the status quo of your relationship with them or those around you. Unfortunately much of that well meaning advice does not produce a positive change or outcome.
When you choose to work with me you will be supported and reassured, but this does not mean there won’t be uncomfortable conversations, challenging questions and, if need be, a reality check. My job as your Parent Coach is to help you either establish or change a family dynamic. This will require work on your part - it is your home life and family dynamic that is being impacted. Rest assured, I will provide clear, practical strategies which you and I will tailor to work for you and your family. Each time we speak the plan going forward will adjust to reflect the progress you have made.
As a Sounding Board rather than an Echo Chamber, we can make progress together to reduce stress, eliminate undesirable behaviours and embed positive practices that will work going forward.
How is coaching different to counselling?
Coaching has one key similarity to counselling/therapy in that all conversations are strictly confidential.
Coaching is based on a relationship of equals. During our sessions I may share anecdotes that I have experienced that may give relevant insights. My role is to provide you with steps, strategies, tools and encouragement as you begin to implement the desired changes in your home life. You are living in your world - all our sessions are tailored to your reality, not mine, not someone else’s. We will work as a team to find the solutions that work for you and your family.
Counselling and therapy are more suited to people looking to overcome mental health disorders such as anxiety or depression. This type of support should only be provided by a qualified psychotherapist - which I am not. If you are currently working with a counsellor/therapist and wish to augment that work by embedding positive parenting practices, I am more than happy to work with you in that area.
How long will behaviour change take?
That’s the million-dollar question! There are so many factors influencing the answer to this from how embedded the behaviour is to how frequently the new behaviour is practised. In reality behaviour change may take as little as a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks or months. The key thing is that by the end of each session you and I will have agreed what steps you are going to take and you will understand the logic behind these steps, how and when to implement them, and an approximate time frame for initial changes to be seen. Each time we speak we will progress to the next step(s) adjusting for your updated progress. This tailoring means you will see incremental progress after each session.