Parenting is hard in normal times. Parenting during a worldwide pandemic is a whole other ballgame.

Shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic have meant closed schools, lack of childcare, and working from home while also acting as a teacher, chef, housekeeper, and playmate. Even the most patient of parents can find themselves feeling stressed and overwhelmed — and more likely to throw the rules of parenting out the window.

At Abbey Neuropsychology Clinic in Palo Alto, California, we understand how stressful it is to parent during the pandemic. Dr. Richard Abbey and our team offer parent coaching to help you deal with the more challenging aspects of parenting, pandemic or not. We even offer sessions via telehealth to make it easier for you to get some guidance when you need it.

Why do I need parent coaching?

No matter how strong your parenting skills, you’re likely to experience some challenges and struggles while raising kids. These struggles can appear at any time, but you may have found that the pandemic has caused you to be less patient and more willing to let your kids engage in negative behaviors because you just need a break.

The pandemic is also likely to have taken a toll on your child. Disruption in their routines, not being able to spend time with friends and family, and fears about what’s going on in the world may have caused noticeable changes in your child’s behaviors and impacted their mental health.

Whether you need a reminder of how to set boundaries, want to hone specific parenting skills, or need guidance on how to help your child communicate during a stressful time, parent coaching can help. Through parent coaching, we provide support, guidance, and tools to help you flourish as a parent and guide your child with love and positivity.

How can parent coaching help?

A stressed out parent isn’t always an effective parent. Through parent coaching, we can help you learn to practice self-care while setting boundaries and enhancing communication with your child to help them thrive during a difficult time.

Parent coaching can help you:

• Effectively address behavior problems in your child, like aggression and defiance
• Develop strategies to enhance your child’s social and emotional development
• Create routines and structure around bedtime and homework
• Reduce sibling rivalry and tantrums
• Address issues at school and with friends
• Enhance your child’s self-esteem
• Lessen power struggles

With parent coaching, we not only help you encourage positive development in your child, we also help you be the best parent you can be. We can help you learn to proactively solve problems around unwanted behaviors and feel more in control of your parenting skills.

How does parent coaching work?

With parent coaching, we aim to help you experience what it’s like to be in your child’s shoes so you can better understand them.

We find out what specific problems you’re encountering, what techniques you’ve tried to improve the situation, and how your child responds. We help you look at the situation from your child’s point of view in order to better solve problems and offer solutions that might work.

Our coaches won’t ever judge your parenting style, but they’ll arm you with new and positive tools that encourage you to work alongside your child instead of in opposition.

If you keep having the same struggles with your kids or know what you’re trying isn’t working but don’t know what else to do, parent coaching can help. To enhance your parenting skills and help your children thrive, call our office at 650-215-6840, or book an appointment online today.