Parenting Support
We understand how hard it can be when you’re feeling stuck as a parent.
We can help.
Have you found yourself disciplining your child and thinking “There has to be a better way”? Have you ever yelled at or spanked out of exasperation or in an effort to modify your child’s behavior? Are you feeling like the strategies you’ve been told to try aren’t working with your child? Rest assured, there are options for help. Creative Family Counseling therapists are trained Parenting Coaches, based on a model founded on mutual respect, teaching parents to use kindness and firmness at the same time.
Research shows that children have an intense desire to feel connected and contribute; therefore, young people who have a strong sense of connection are less likely to exhibit misbehavior in school and at home. Based in the Positive Discipline program,developed by Dr. Jane Nelsen, our parent coaching is designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their communities. Parent coaching can help you move from getting behavior results out of fear of punishment, to getting results because your child knows the right thing to do and knows how to choose it for themselves.
Parenting from a kind and firm perspective builds the kind of relationship parents dream of with their children from now through their child’s adulthood. The term “positive” doesn’t mean “permissive”, or “gentle”. It more so means parenting from a stance of positivity about your child and your parenting outcomes, and using positive & healthy methods rather than punishments or discouragement. You will learn how to balance expectations and follow through while supporting your child’s growth, stability, and belief in themselves & their abilities. You will develop skills to positively collaborate with your child in their growth rather than battling against them.
This model gives the following 5 criteria for effective discipline:
- Helps children feel a sense of connection. (Belonging and significance)
- Is mutually respectful and encouraging. (Kind and firm at the same time)
- Is effective long term (Considers what the child is thinking, feeling, learning, and deciding about himself and his world – and what to do in the future to survive or to thrive)
- Teaches important social and life skills (Respect, concern for others, problem solving, and cooperation as well as the skills to contribute to the home, school or larger community)
- Invites children to discover how capable they are (Encourages the constructive use of personal power and autonomy)
The tools and concepts include:
- Mutual respect. Adults model firmness by respecting themselves and the needs of the situation, and kindness by respecting the needs of the child.
- Identifying the belief behind the behavior. Effective discipline recognizes the reasons kids do what they do and works to change those beliefs, rather than merely attempting to change behavior.
- Effective communication and problem solving skills.
- Discipline that teaches (and is neither permissive nor punitive).
- Focusing on solutions instead of punishment.
- Encouragement (instead of praise). Encouragement notices effort and improvement, not just success, and builds long term self-esteem and empowerment.
Positive Discipline provides parents, caregivers, and teachers an alternative to punitive punishment and gratuitous praise.
I’m ready.
What options are there for parenting support?
Creative Family Counseling offers a number of ways to support parents in the growth of themselves, their children, and their families. All clinicians at Creative Family Counseling are Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educators, and some are trained Co-Parenting therapists – whether parenting from one home or two. We offer this support in a variety of ways to meet the diverse learning and scheduling needs of parents:
- Attend our next Parenting Workshop, offered by the Creative Family Parent Coaches. These are typically offered 1-2 times a year.
- Schedule a one-on-one Parent Coaching meeting with one of our therapists by reaching out to our Practice Administrator today! These meetings can be in-person at our Lyndon Campus or our Prospect Campus, or Online!
- Meet together with your child’s other parent(s) and a Creative Family Counseling Parent Educator or trained co-parenting therapist to build a strong foundation of collaborative parenting with shared goals, a guiding structure, and a solid foundation that will guide you through your child’s growing years.
- Connect with a parenting-focused therapist for counseling focused on yourself as a parent, focusing on learning strategies for effective parenting while also exploring your journey to being a parent, what influences your values and decisions, and how to create the parenting life and relationship with your child that you want.
Still have questions?
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page to have additional questions answered!