So, what is parent coaching?
What is this “Parent Coaching” you speak of?
According to the Jai Institute of Parenting (where I received my certification).
“A parent coach helps parents clarify how they want their relationships with their children to be, and offers them tools to create a deeper and more fulfilling connection for their family. Parenting coaches provide guidance, education and accountability, allowing families to create their own empowered parenting model, rather than fixing, prescribing or diagnosing.”
At the International Coaching Federation (with whom I am not accredited at this time), the process of coaching is described as:
“partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.
We all have goals we want to reach, challenges we’re striving to overcome and times when we feel stuck. Partnering with a coach can change your life, setting you on a path to greater personal and professional fulfillment.”
What Coaching is NOT:
Coaching is NOT therapy.
There is no “diagnosis” or “treatment.” Therapy is based on the medical model, which is focused on creating an assessment of a “presenting problem.” Coaching is based on identifying strengths and resources. I am not here to diagnose or treat you. I am here to partner with you, enlighten you, guide you and support you through your own process to live into the intentions you have as a parent.
There is no focusing on the past or deep traumas. Parent coaching is a fabulous tool to use in conjunction with therapy. But if we start to work together and uncover that there is more happening for you that is impacting your functioning in a detrimental way, I will do my best to refer you to a licensed mental health professional in your local community to hold space for you while you navigate those deeper dimensions.
What is Coaching with Sarahbean Like?
Coaching with me involves the following approaches:
You are a full human being, gloriously imperfect, and capable of transformation.
My sessions are client-led, which means I meet you exactly where you are. We navigate the complexities of any number of challenges in your daily life with your high-spirited little one. At the end of each session, you will leave with actionable steps to take. This may involve watching a video about brain science or child development, reading a chapter about attachment styles, practicing new parenting skills based on your current challenges, completing a worksheet to understand more about your situation, or trying a different behavioral approach with your child.
We focus on your strengths and what is already working for you in your parenting practices, so we can build on those skills together.
I practice reflective listening, which involves reflecting back what I hear in your story, and offering invitations to reframe your perspective.
We work together to take a comprehensive inventory of your values, intentions, goals, feelings and needs in your relationship with your child.
Our work together includes a healthy dose of practicing curiosity and wondering together, AKA “thinking partnership,” so we can uncover some of the obstacles to the change you wish to see. I am not here to judge you or scrutinize your human moments. I am here to connect with you and find places of possibility. I will remind you of your goals and intentions if you start to go off-track.
I provide guidance and education around attachment science, early childhood development, and how our nervous systems inform our behaviors.
The outcome is directly proprotional to the amount of work you are willing to put into this process. The goal is for you to have a self-created treasure map of stratagems and practices to support optimal and sustainable daily experiences with your big-feeling child.
If you are interested in learning more about the Superdelight Methodology, click here.
Next Steps:
If you are interested in learning more about my coaching packages or approach, and are willing to put in the work to practice sometimes-uncomfortable new ways of responding and relating with your child, please book a discovery call (virtually, via Zoom).
This discovery call is 30 minutes and costs $0.
This call is designed to help us gather resources and make a plan for the journey ahead.
At the end of the call, I will invite you to join me to sign up for a coaching package to get started in working together, if we both feel it is a good fit.
Note: I use a coaching and scheduling platform called honeybook. You will receive reminders for our appointment before the call. If you need to cancel and reschedule, I request you give me as much notice as possible. Let’s respect eachother’s time. ♡
