Parenting coaches are becoming another source of support for families.
Parenting rarely comes with a clear set of instructions, and some parents are turning to parent coaches for help navigating difficult moments. The approach can be particularly appealing to families dealing with stress, challenging behaviour, emotional regulation or the everyday pressures of raising children.
For parents of children, coaching can focus on understanding what’s behind difficult behaviour and finding strategies that work in real-life situations. ADDitude’s Steven Richfield, Ph.D., describes the approach as being on the child’s side, using listening and empathy rather than criticism to help children develop better coping skills.
That doesn’t mean parent coaching replaces therapy or professional treatment when those are needed. Rather, it can provide parents with another tool—and a person to turn to when they feel stuck.
So, What Exactly Is Parent Coaching?
Think of parent coaching as practical guidance for the person doing the parenting. Vanderbilt University describes it as being “like having a personal trainer to help you build parenting skills,” with coaches helping parents establish goals and develop strategies for everything from tantrums to technology use.
Sessions can cover communication, discipline, transitions, sibling relationships, behaviour problems, balancing work and family life and adjusting to different stages of childhood. Importantly, the goal isn’t to tell parents that they’re doing everything wrong; coaching is intended to be a collaborative process focused on what a particular family needs.
For some parents, that means learning how to respond differently to a child’s challenging behaviour. For others, it may mean breaking patterns inherited from their own childhood and becoming more intentional about how they communicate.
The Potential Benefits Go Beyond Behaviour
The biggest appeal of parent coaching may be that the benefits aren’t limited to the child. Research discussed by Child and Teen Solutions indicates that parenting programs can reduce parental stress while improving parenting confidence, coping skills and family interactions.
Parents may also experience reductions in symptoms of anxiety and depression, while becoming more confident in managing difficult situations. As one source puts it, coaching can leave parents feeling “more empowered and competent” when dealing with their child’s challenges.
And perhaps that’s the most useful way to think about parent coaching: not as evidence that you’re failing, but as an opportunity to get better at one of the hardest jobs there is.
