Coaching for Therapeutic Parents

A psychology-informed coaching approach for parents and carers who are supporting children impacted by trauma. This specialist coaching is tailored to the unique dynamics of adoptive families and designed to support whole family development and wellbeing.

Support for Parents and Carers

I hold an open, empathic and accepting space for honest conversations to support parents and carers in their role. For parents of children and young people impacted by trauma, access to appropriate relationally attuned support is essential for whole family wellbeing.

This coaching service has been carefully and sensitively designed, blending lived experience, over 10 years providing peer support to adoptive families and a trauma-informed coaching approach grounded in Psychology. Support in the form of coaching can also be provided to foster carers and kinship carers (Special Guardians).

Coaching for Parents and Carers

Possible Areas of Focus

Wellbeing

Reducing parent/carer stress and improving psychological and physical wellbeing has the potential to support whole family wellbeing by increasing relational capacity.

Advocacy

Supporting parents and carers to find their voice and use it to access understanding and appropriate support for their children. Preparing for difficult conversations, removing obstacles to taking a confident approach.

Social Support

Supporting you while you explore ways to build a team around you who understand the unique needs of your family. Reducing isolation that can occur when trauma reduces social interaction.

Navigating Systems

Support for your thinking as find your way round the multiple complex systems your family interacts with that can overwhelming.

Specialist Service

Therapeutic Parenting Coaching

This service is currently provided as a funded service via some Post Adoption Support Teams.

Therapeutic Parenting is a term used to describe a responsive needs-focussed way of responding to children that promotes attachment and development. Connective, responsive, trauma-informed are also ways of describing responding that is different to some traditional normative parenting approaches. A ‘trauma lens’ is taken by parents and carers to inform responses to children and young peoples behaviour. Training and education on the use of these approaches is routinely available via post-adoption services and can be accessed by parents directly.

My coaching approach is different because it is specifically designed to increase parent/carer confidence and capacity to apply this approach in a way that meets the needs of their family and is sustainable, recognising the challenges and barriers to implementing this and prioritising family wellbeing.

Surfacing Learning

Coaching can be applied to surface learning from parenting courses and trauma-informed responding education.

Understanding Responses

Coaching supports you as you reflect on your own responses to support sustainable change that feels right for your family.

Supporting Action

Coaching supports you while you reflect on your application of your learning and reflect on this experience.

Relational Practice

Working with parents and carers with understanding of the reality of supporting children on a trauma-recovery journey. Informed by relevant and contemporary theory and research.

Testimonials

"Caroline was deeply empathetic and incredibly skilled in her questioning, so skilful in fact that we ended up discovering a more positive direction by ourselves. We weren’t sure what to expect from the coaching, but soon learnt, it wasn’t training or therapy, it was our safe space to share our worries, reflect on our values, parenting styles and responses. Caroline was brilliant at listening and telling us what she heard from us in an unjudgmental and empathic way."

Adoptive Parent

"The impact of those 12 weeks has been incredible for family life, it’s a calmer and happier place to be. With our ‘golden nuggets’ we’ve taken from our time with Caroline and our empathic led parenting style, our children’s responses no longer leave us feeling worried or confused. We feel so appreciative we had the opportunity to access this coaching with Caroline and would highly recommend coaching for any adoptive parent, parent or carer."

Adoptive Parent

"Caroline has many skills as a coach but feeling really listened to, with a completely understanding approach to relationship difficulties, has allowed us to be confident again as parents."

Adoptive Parents

"My experience was extremely positive and really changed the way I approach parenting. The coaching helped me feel more confident in using a trauma-informed therapeutic parenting style and helped me move away from more traditional approaches that didn’t work for my family. I was given a safe space where I could talk openly about the difficulties I was having with my child without feeling judged. Caroline was an amazing coach who helped me become a better parent, feel more relaxed about the future, and build resilience. She really understood both my mental health and the situation I was going through. I can honestly say my relationship with my child has improved so much. It’s not perfect, but now I feel more resilient, I have more tools to deal with challenges, and I feel more confident asking for help when I need it."

Adoptive Parent

"Having gone through the adoption and attended many courses, all enjoyable but I honestly found myself really looking forward to our sessions. I consider myself privileged to have been able to have these sessions with Caroline, we can really see the positive impact in our family dynamic. It is so much calmer, we are so much more measured in our responses to our children's needs".

Adoptive Parent

Get in Touch

Are you an adopter, foster carer or kinship carer interested in coaching to support you? Or are you a Social Worker or Adoption Team Manager looking for relationally-attuned support for your families? If you have a question or would like to talk about coaching please get in touch via the contact form by clicking the link below.