Parent Consultations

What are Parent Consultations?

Parent consultations are an alternative to individual or family therapy, and involve meeting for three, 50-minute sessions to address a specific concern or behavior.  They are time-limited and solution-focused. Strategies and tools will be suggested based on the needs and strengths of the family.

Parent consultations are a good fit for:

  • Parents who need support, suggestions, and tools to help with a specific concern or issue like bedtime, homework, or chores.
  • Parents who would like strategies to better understand and communicate with their children.
  • Single parents looking for additional or supplemental support in their role.

Parent consultations are generally not suited for:

  • Parents and families who are dealing with deeper issues like divorce, trauma or abuse, or mental health issues like depression that would be better served in traditional individual or family therapy.

Outline of a typical 3-session parent consultation:

First session:

  • Clarify concern or target behavior and develop goal(s).
  • Introduce Positive Discipline principles.
  • Identify strengths and resources in the family.
  • Use the Mistaken Goals of Misbehavior Chart to understand child’s motivation.
  • Start developing plan of action.
  • Homework: readings from Positive Discipline; try alternative strategies; journal

Second session:

  • Discuss and reflect on readings.
  • Discuss effectiveness of alternative strategies and problem-solve.
  • Continue developing plan of action.
  • Address concerns and challenges.
  • Homework: readings; continue to implement alternative strategies; journal

Third session:

  • Review, assess, and troubleshoot strategies and tools.
  • Identify most effective strategies.
  • Finalize long-term plan of action.
  • Identify key shift(s) in parent thinking/perception.
  • Identify next steps and sources of continued support (online, books, groups, etc).

About the counselor

Parent consultations are facilitated by Erin Olson, M.Ed., M.S., LPC. Erin is a certified Positive Discipline parent educator and a former Special Education teacher. In addition to parent consultations, she provides individual counseling to adolescents and adults, including parents who want to work on deeper issues affecting their parenting. She has presented and taught on topics related to parenting, the impact of trauma on the brain, and creating trauma-sensitive classrooms.

Cost: $100 per 50-minute session

Have questions or want to get started? Fill out the form below if you’d like more information or to set up a free, 30-minute consultation.

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