Parent Coach FAQs - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach

Parent Coach FAQs

Meghan…

Is the mother of three children.
Holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Secondary Education from The Catholic University of America.
Taught English Literature in an all-boys school for 5 years.
Holds a master’s degree in school counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
Is certified as a Parent Coach through the Center for the Challenging Child, LLC in Roseville MN.
Is a certified facilitator through the Neufeld Institute.
Is a weekly columnist for On Parenting Section of the The Washington Post.
Is a former Parenting Expert for Discovery Fit and Health.
Is a former Parent Educator with PEP (Parent Encouragement Program) in Kensington, MD

A parent coach is a certified professional who helps you cultivate a better relationship with your children.
Whether on the phone, in-person, or over Skype, a parent coach gives customized support and advice based on each individual family’s needs.
A parent coach addresses issues such as problems with routines and transitions (morning and night, for example), power struggles, parental anger, discipline, homework challenges, chores, and “disrespectful” behavior.
A parent coach assists the parents in creating parenting plans and then supports the parents as they practice these plans. Because children and families can be complex, the parent coach helps the parents problem-solve as challenges arise.
A parent coach is not a therapist.

Therapy typically addresses issues in a client’s background and seeks to work through those issues until the client has found some “closure.”
Therapy frequently uses diagnoses and can last anywhere from weeks to years.
Parent coaching looks forward, deals in the present, seeks to educate, and does not diagnose.
Parent coaching uses tools and the most current research to help you gain the skills you need to parent your child.

You have had the same struggle with your child over and over, and you are physically and mentally exhausted.
You know that what you are doing isn’t working, but you don’t know what else to do.
You have complained to everyone, from your family and friends, to strangers at school or in the park…and that hasn’t helped either!
You have had the same conversation over and over with your partner…or yourself.
You are beginning to feel hopeless about your parenting life.
You feel stressed out, angry, guilty, and worried, and you know it is time for a change.
You feel unsupported, unheard, and confused about what to do about parenting.
You have read stacks of parenting books, and the ideas either work and then stop…or never worked to begin with.
You know that the way you were raised is not going to work with your child, and you are ready to learn new skills.
You want to get on the same parenting page (or at least in the same book!) with your partner.
You are really ready to change the way you understand children, yourself, and your family dynamics.
You are truly ready to do the work required, because change ain’t always easy or pretty.

Most clients have six appointments, with each appointment lasting 1 hour.
The appointments are via Skype.
The appointments are typically scheduled 10 to 14 days apart to give you time to use the tools we have discussed, although you can request more appointments if you feel it is necessary.
The appointments can include spouses, life partners, parents going through divorce, stepparents, grandparents, nannies and caregivers, teachers and counselors.

Learn how to proactively solve problems when it comes to unwanted behavior in your children.
Understand the roots of inappropriate behavior in children and how it relates to normal childhood development.
Feel more in-control and encouraged in your parenting skills, as well as your children’s behavior.
Have a heartening and enduring system of ideas and tools at your fingertips for the rest of your parenting life!

No. I prefer for the parents to be the heroes of their own story, thus the coach helps from behind the scenes.