How Parent Consulting Changed Throughout the Years

Whether you have or plan on having children, or you’re just curious to learn more about what a healthy parent looks like, one way to find out is to get in touch with a parenting coach, also referred to as a parent consultant. 

What is parent consulting? 

Alongside other wellness businesses, such as fitness and life trainers and yoga instructors (to name a few), parent coaching is an industry focused on improving the lives of others by teaching valuable life skills. Parent consulting focuses on teaching parents how to deal with the challenges of raising children properly. This can mean anything from teaching them how to change a diaper to offering solutions for dealing with their teen’s video game addiction. While some caretakers may find that their parenting style is ideal for their children, others may feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of raising little ones and may need some outside guidance. This is where parenting coaches come in.  

What does parent coaching help with? 

Depending on the individual’s needs and concerns, the coach can approach and tackle many types of issues, such as: 

• Behavioral issues
• Learning issues (such as ADHD)
• Transition issues (such as adoption, marriage, moving to a new place)
• Oppositional defiant disorders
• Mental health issues (such as suicidal ideation or eating disorders)
• Substance abuse in adolescents
• LGBTQ trauma and support
• Trauma stemming from abuse
• Reactive attachment disorder

For the process to yield favorable results, the parent and coach must be in constant contact and share information with one another. It’s also important for the coach to observe child-parent interactions, provide the caretaker with a strategy, offer feedback and continuous encouragement. 

How has parent consulting changed over the years?

First of all, let’s start by looking at how parenting has changed in the last decades. It’s safe to say that some things have drastically improved. For example, whereas older generations may have passed the responsibility of parenting solely on the mother, Millennials encourage fathers to become equally involved. Through this, paternal care is no longer neglected but encouraged and supported.

But even so, co-parenting is not easy, and some parents disagree about the right way to raise their children. In contrast, others find themselves woefully unprepared for this type of responsibility. Now, of course, many children are raised by single parents, while others have to go back and forth between mom’s and dad’s house. Yet, healthy and loving caretakers will always put their children’s needs first regardless of what a family looks like. But since parenting doesn’t come with a rule book, many find themselves searching for answers they can’t get from a text or an online video. This is where parent coaches come in. Their goal is to foster the achievement of parenting goals in a non-judgemental setting through evidence-based strategies. Together with the caretakers, the coach navigates domestic issues or concerns related to the child and provides different approaches and solutions to the problems at hand. This type of coaching, which can take place in-person, online, or over the phone, aids caregivers with navigating their children’s developmental, physical or mental needs. 

Taking it more seriously

Regardless of the differences in strategies between professionals in the field, it’s safe to say that parent coaching is a science. And, just like any other type of science, this field is continuously evolving. In the past years, parent coaching has gained increasing attention both in the media and in science, with more and more people are starting to take it seriously. It is now included in the professional guidelines of various institutions and incorporated in the work of many early intervention professionals, such as speech-language pathologists. This recent attention has provided parent coaching professionals with a whole new way of promoting their work. The more people know about parent coaching and the value it can bring to families, the less hopeless they will feel. After all, knowing that there are professionals who can help them adequately address their issues is an encouragement. Sure, there will always be challenges, but raising a child does not have to be a break experience, and parent coaches can help caretakers understand just that. They are there to help the parents cope and adapt to the needs of their little ones without feeling overwhelmed.

Many celebrities have worked with parent coaching to learn more about their children’s developmental needs and how to address them adequately. For example, actors Emily Blunt and John Krasinsky described the work they did with their parent coach, thanking her for showing them how great of a job they were doing already. And this is another thing with which professionals in this field can help. In an attempt to be perfect parents, some may not be aware that they are on the right path. In those cases, coaches can simply help by encouraging them and assuring them that they are taking the right approach.  

Social media and its role

Though parenting has changed significantly over the decades, it’s safe to say that some challenges remained the same. For example, some toddlers throw tantrums, and some teenagers struggle with behavioral issues. Yet, one element worth mentioning that has changed is social media. 

While parent coaches can make themselves more known through posts on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, many caretakers fall into the trap of comparing their parenting with what they see on social media. Once again, this is where parent coaches can help. As everyday life has changed in the past years, social media has become a constant element in people’s lives. Whether it’s scrolling Instagram before bed or watching TikTok videos to pass the time, it’s safe to say that we’re all exposed to social media all the time. And if there’s one known thing about these platforms, it’s that most videos and pictures are highly edited or taken out of context. And, just like some teenage girls compare themselves to what they see in other girls’ pictures, some parents compare themselves to what they see in videos of other parents with their children. And this can be discouraging at times. But this is yet another part in which parent consulting has changed. Coaches can remind parents of two critical things: all parents struggle at times, and what you see on social media is not real life. 

Education opportunities in the field

As this field has made a reputable name for itself in the past decade, clinicians have explored continuing education opportunities in the area. From reading and writing books on this topic, attending seminars, or taking classes, it’s safe to say that one crucial element that has changed when it comes to parent coaching is access to more and more information on the topic. 

Professionals now have access to a community of like-minded individuals with the same goal – to help parents learn how to best adapt to their children’s needs. Unlike in the past, when parent coaching was viewed by many as a pseudoscience, in which caretakers learn a strategy by observing the professional, this field has made a name for itself as a complex process involving varying strategies that encourage caretakers through honest and open conversation, observation, reflection, and problem-solving. 

Educational advancements in parent consulting have also helped shift the societal attitude in this field. Whereas many may have perceived it to be a waste of money in the past, it’s safe to say that recent advancements have put this field on the map. 

In conclusion 

The field of parent consulting has seen some drastic changes throughout the years. Though it faced some challenges for a while, as many were not taking professionals in this field seriously, it managed to make a name for itself, mainly through continuing educational opportunities in the field and social media publicity. From actors to school teachers, more and more people are viewing parent consulting as a legit science, which has earned its place amongst fields like psychology and sociology.

But there’s one more thing that has helped put this field on the map – technological advancements. To be taken seriously nowadays, it’s crucial to understand and use modern software. For example, Persona can easily be downloaded on both IoS and Android and used for payment collection, client scheduling, and expense management while providing a personalized online store, where clients can purchase your services without having to go through you. In addition, it’s worth mentioning that the app does your taxes for you (we all hate doing taxes, right?) and keeps your money safe through FDIC insurance. And the best part? Persona is 100% free, always. No monthly fees, overdraft fees, or minimum balance requirements.