Parent Coaching Endorsed by Pediatricians

Feb. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Bellevue, WASH., February 21, 2011 – Illinois State Senator Don Harmon (39th District) has shared a vision with the Illinois Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP), which was referenced in an article in the January issue of Illinois Pediatrician (“When Anticipatory Guidance Isn’t Enough: Parent Coaching as a Tool for Enhancing the Lives of Families” by Juanona Brewster, MDIV, MTS, MJ, Director of Early Childhood Development, ICAAP). Pediatricians have long recognized the need to pay attention to the health of mothers to ensure the health of children, specifically around the issue of post-partum depression, but Senator Harmon brought to the attention of the ICAAP the relevance of parental support in more general terms and highlighted the work of The Parent Coaching Institute (The PCI™) as an example of the effectiveness of parent coaching.

The PCI offers a unique graduate-level, distance-learning program that holds the highest standards in the training of parent coaches. It attracts highly skilled professionals from a variety of backgrounds--such as teaching, social work, and health care--who want to help parents productively address the challenges of parenting in today’s complex society.

What is Parent Coaching?
As described in the ICAAP article, parent coaching is the practice of supporting parents so they can effectively address parenting challenges and guide their children to develop in healthy ways. The PCI trains and certifies parent coaches to use an empowerment model of support. Through guided conversations and concentrated listening, PCI Certified Parent Coaches® help parents clarify goals and identify strengths to use to take action steps toward those goals. Though the coaches have expertise in child development and parent education, nothing is ever imposed on the parents. Rather, coaching relies on establishing a relationship of trust so that the coach and parent can collaborate to arrive at the best possible outcome.

Brewster, in her Illinois Pediatrician article, mentions that pediatric care providers typically try to hear parental concerns during patient visits and offer anticipatory guidance when possible, but often their time is too limited to fully address parents’ needs. When doctors feel parents need additional knowledge and support, but don’t feel that therapy or social services are required, what are their referral options? Parent coaching is a new field of support filling that referral need.

Parents across the country are fortunate to have phone access to a PCI Certified Parent Coach® who focuses on supporting and guiding parents of young children recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and parents who live in Maine are able to have direct access to her. Connie Hammer, MSW founded her parent coaching business, The Progressive Parent, LLC, in 2005 and began using her talents to help support families affected by autism in April 2010 when she launched her website, Parent Coaching for Autism. To schedule an interview with Hammer, please call (207) 615-5457 or email connie@theprogressiveparent.com or visit here http://www.parentcoachingforautism.com for more information. For more general details about the benefits of parent coaching and how it works, visit www.ThePCI.org or call (888) 599-4447.

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The Parent Coaching Institute (The PCI™) is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the parent coaching profession. Founded in 2000 by Gloria DeGaetano, it was the originator of the parent coaching industry, and it continues to set the highest national standards for Parent Coach Certification®. The PCI is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, and is currently enrolling students for the Spring Quarter. For more information, visit http://www.ThePCI.org.