Parent Coaching provides a space to think differently about what comes next.
When your ascending adult faces challenges, it can be hard to know how to help. You might have read books, sought advice, talked with friends or professionals, and tried various approaches, yet still find yourself stuck in the same patterns.
Tending Growth coaching gives you a dedicated space to step back from the urgency and gain a broader perspective. Together, we will focus on what you can control and identify practical changes that can enhance both your relationship and your young adult's growing independence.
I approach all my work with families using an Appreciative Inquiry philosophy, following its 5-D framework, designed to foster discovery, reflection, and implementation.
Rather than focusing solely on what is going wrong, we focus on identifying strengths, resources, possibilities, and what is already working. We leverage these elements as a foundation for positive change.
How Parent Coaching Works at Tending Growth
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You don't need to have everything figured out before you contact me.
We'll begin by talking about what's happening now: what's concerning you, what you've already tried, where you feel stuck, and what you would like to be different. We'll also decide whether parent coaching feels like the right fit.
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Families develop patterns - especially when anxiety and uncertainty have been present for a while.
What happens when your young adult becomes anxious or overwhelmed?
How do you typically respond?
Where are you stepping in?
Where might you need to step back?
What happens when you set a boundary?
Are you and another parent or caregiver approaching the situation differently?
What's already working that we can build on?
The purpose isn't to assign blame. It's to become curious about what's happening and identify places where a different response might create a different outcome.
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Coaching is practical.
Rather than leaving a session with only greater insight, you'll have something concrete to work with - a conversation to approach differently, a boundary to clarify, a response to practice, or perhaps something you've been doing that you're ready to stop doing. We don't have to change everything at once.
We're building a series of wins.
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At our next conversation, we'll look at what happened.
What changed?
What surprised you?
What worked?
What didn't?
What did you learn?
Then we adjust. Over time, these small experiments can help you become more confident in your own parenting while creating more room for your young adult to develop confidence and capability of their own.
Parent coaching does not directly include your ascending adult. It can include one parent or caregiver, two parents, or other important caregivers in a young adult's life. Parents won’t likely agree on everything before beginning coaching. In fact, coaching can be especially helpful when parents or caregivers have different ideas about how much support to provide, where boundaries should be, or what their young adult needs. The goal isn't necessarily to make everyone think alike. It's to help you develop a more thoughtful, consistent approach.
Who Participates?
With Tending Growth, you’ll discover another way forward.
What to expect from Tending Growth
Tending Growth provides coaching, not therapy. Coaching is practical, collaborative, strengths-based, and forward-looking. We focus on what's happening now, what you want to change, and what you can start doing to move in that direction.
Where/how do we meet?
Tending Growth, located in Bath, Maine, serves local families and those nationally through video coaching. This approach allows parents and caregivers to participate together, even when they’re not in the same location.
Sessions & Fees
We will choose a specific day and time for our sessions and continue meeting at that same time each week. We'll tailor our coaching frequency to your family's needs to ensure it is most beneficial.
We'll discuss the current coaching rates during our first call.