Our Services
Parent Coaching
Parent coaching at Reformation Counseling Center is grounded in attachment-based principles, which means we focus on strengthening the relationship between you and your child as the foundation for everything else. Our approach equips you with practical strategies you can use at home, while also helping you understand the “why” behind your child’s behavior.
Parent coaching is available as individual one-on-one sessions or through our group parenting classes offered each semester.
Is This Right for You?
Who Parent Coaching Is For
How we can help
Our Approach
Attachment-Based Principles
The quality of the parent-child relationship is the most powerful predictor of a child’s emotional health and development. Our coaching focuses on strengthening this bond by helping you respond to your child’s needs with attunement, consistency, and warmth.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Parents
Helps you understand your own emotional reactions to your child’s behavior. When you understand the “parts” of yourself that get triggered during difficult parenting moments, you can respond more intentionally rather than reactively.
Sand Therapy
Uses a sandbox and miniature figures to allow children to create scenes that represent their inner world. This nonverbal approach is particularly effective for children who have experienced trauma or who struggle to express their feelings verbally.
Theraplay-Informed Strategies
Drawing from Theraplay principles, we offer playful, interactive strategies that build connection, trust, and a sense of safety between you and your child.
Practical Behavior Strategies
We provide concrete tools for managing challenging behaviors, establishing routines, setting healthy boundaries, and reinforcing positive behavior — all grounded in an understanding of child development.
The Process
What to Expect
One-on-One Coaching
Individual parent coaching sessions are typically 50 minutes and are held weekly or biweekly. Sessions focus on your specific challenges, goals, and questions. Your coach will help you develop personalized strategies, role-play difficult scenarios, and troubleshoot what isn’t working.
Group Parenting Classes
Each semester, Reformation Counseling Center offers group parenting classes covering core topics such as attachment, emotional regulation, boundary-setting, and communication. Group classes provide the benefit of learning alongside other parents, sharing experiences, and building a support network.
Between Sessions
Parent coaching is most effective when you can practice new strategies between sessions. Your coach may suggest specific approaches to try at home and will follow up with you to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and how to adjust.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How is parent coaching different from family counseling?
Family counseling involves the whole family and addresses the dynamics between family members. Parent coaching is focused specifically on the parent and provides tools, strategies, and education to help the parent respond more effectively to their child’s needs. The two services can complement each other.
Do I need to bring my child to parent coaching sessions?
Typically, no. Parent coaching sessions are for the parent alone. If your child is also receiving services (such as play therapy), the parent coach and child therapist may coordinate to ensure a consistent approach.
Is parent coaching only for parents of young children?
No. Parent coaching can be helpful at any stage of parenting, from toddlerhood through adolescence. The strategies and focus areas are adapted to the developmental stage of your child.
Can both parents attend?
Yes, and we encourage it when possible. Having both parents aligned on strategies and expectations improves consistency and outcomes at home. Parent coaching is also available for co-parents who are separated or divorced.
Will parent coaching fix my child’s behavior?
Parent coaching focuses on equipping you with the understanding and tools to respond to your child more effectively. While behavioral improvements in the child are a common outcome, the primary focus is on empowering you as the parent. Behavior change in children is often a natural result of shifts in the parent-child dynamic.