Before last fall, I had never heard of the term, "Parent Coaching." In the next few weeks, I thought it might be helpful to go into more detail about parent coaching. Today, I thought I'd start with "what." As I said last week, Parent Coaching is not therapy, mentorship, or consulting. I think sometimes people hear the word "parent coach" and they think about the "Super Nanny" coming to their home, watching how they interact with their kids, and telling them everything they are doing wrong as a parent and what they need to do to fix it. This is NOT parent coaching. When we approach a family from the view of what is wrong and then look for quick answers to those perceived problems, we miss out on the heart of the family and each individual that makes up the family. Rather than experiencing lasting change, the fixes are often temporary.
Parent Coaching is a unique relationship between a coach and parent with the purpose of supporting the parent and family to be their best selves. This is done through a shifting of the mind to what is working within the family rather then what is not. The conversations progress through four stages. The coach guides the parent through these stages with questions, thoughts, and exercises that tap into the parent's inner wisdom. The conversations begin with discovering the strengths and gifts of the parents, children, and family. Recognizing that there are dreams of a preferred future within the family, the next stage focuses on drawing out those dreams. Then, based on the strengths of the family, the parent and coach work together to design action steps to making the dream a reality. The conversations end in destiny as the evidence of the dream becoming reality is identified and celebrated.
One of the things I appreciate most about my work as a parent coach is the "ah-ha" moments that come through our work together. Each person has been given unique gifts and talents that equip them for the good and the hard stuff of life. It is so easy to loose sight of these gifts. The conversations I am privileged to have tap into these gifts. As we see these gifts in ourselves and how they are just right for whatever we face, we can't help but say "ah-ha!"
No comments:
Post a Comment