Parent Coaching in St. Louis
When your child is angry, anxious, or easily overwhelmed, you always try to do your best as a parent. But even when you’re doing your best, you can hit a wall.
Parent coaching is a way for you to get direct feedback and advice on how best to manage your child’s behaviors and emotions, along with recognizing the family dynamic. It’s like having a really supportive therapist just for your parenting - especially when you need help managing your own anxiety as a parent.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we notice that parents who call us about their child’s issues with anxiety and anger are often experiencing their own anxiety or anger issues - and they don’t like it.
Their child’s outbursts end when they raise their voice, or they give in to their child’s anxious avoidance because they know how much they want to avoid their own anxiety-inducing events.
We want you to be have a plan, and to feel like you don’t get triggered by your child’s big emotions. Nobody likes to feel like the parent with the short fuse. We can help.
Therapeutic Parent Coaching With Anxiety Experts
When you' have an anxious, angry, easily overwhelmed child, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed yourself. Learn tools, practice strategies, and build in your own self-care through our Therapeutic Parent Coaching program at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
Why should I consider hiring a parenting coach?
Because we’re tailoring each session to the parent, or parents, we’re able to specifically go over those situations where you feel like your least confident parenting self - the times you feel like you’re at the end of your rope with no idea of how to handle your child’s anxious, angry outburst and move forward. Situations like:
The Grocery Store Meltdown: Your child becomes overwhelmed by the sensory stimulation in the crowded aisles of the grocery store. They start screaming and kicking when you can't buy their favorite snack.
The Anxious Outburst at the Doctor's Office: Your child is terrified of doctor appointments. They become agitated and resistant as soon as you enter the waiting room, making it challenging to even complete the check-up.
The Playground Overwhelm: While at the playground, your child struggles to navigate social interactions with other children. When they feel ignored or excluded, they lash out in frustration, causing a scene.
The Family Gathering: During family gatherings, your child becomes overwhelmed by the noise and unfamiliar faces. They refuse to participate in activities and retreat to a corner, refusing to engage with anyone.
The Bedtime Battle: Every night, your child resists going to bed. They become increasingly defiant, throwing tantrums, purposefully making a huge mess, and refusing to even brush their teeth at the start of the bedtime routine.
The Transition Tantrums: Any change in routine, such as leaving the house to go to school or switching activities, triggers intense emotional outbursts from your child. They struggle to adapt to transitions and become overwhelmed by the uncertainty.
Our anxiety therapists understand, and can work, with ALL OF IT.
Because we’re trained anxiety specialists, we can teach YOU how to handle these situations with grace and confidence - teaching you strategies for curbing the meltdowns, coming up with a plan, following through on the boundaries you set - and giving you a space to just process WITHOUT GUILT that, yeah, sometimes it’s really hard to parent an anxious child!
We’re here to give you skills while also helping you cope and take care of yourself, because you can’t parent from an empty cup.
What information do you cover in Therapeutic Parent Coaching?
Sessions include:
Problem-solving and troubleshooting around those outburst situations
Real skills and targeted problem-solving, learning the evidence-based tools that we actually use as anxiety therapists, in session
Relaxation and coping skills to teach your child - and use yourself! - so that everyone can stay calm in the moment
A plan for your own self-care, because being the parent of an anxious, angry child can be really hard - and we can't pour from an empty cup
And if we’re not the best fit for what’s going on, we want to connect you with other great resources in St. Louis. Read below to learn more about Nicole’s online parent coaching at Imperfect Families.
Nicole, why did you choose to become a Parent Coach in St. Louis?
Nicole Schwarz, Parent Coach, works with parents of anxious, angry, easily overwhelmed children.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Parent Coach. I started my career as a therapist working with children, teens, and families because I wanted to provide kids with tools and support early in their development. However, over time, I realized my favorite way to support kids was to empower their parents. I no longer provide mental health therapy, instead focusing on giving parents tools and education through Parent Coaching.
What kind of treatment do you provide?
I provide Parent Coaching which is personalized support, education, strategies, and encouragement to help you parent well through the difficult stages of child development. My coaching philosophy is rooted in Positive or Respectful Parenting, which focuses on brain research, connection, and teaching - rather than consequences or punishments.
What ages do you work with?
I primarily work with parents/caregivers of children between the ages of 3 - 12
What can parents expect to leave with after working with you?
My goal is to help parents manage their current parenting challenges with confidence. Unfortunately, parenting challenges change as kids grow. I see Parent Coaching as an ongoing relationship, one that can be accessed any time a parent feels they are getting off track with their goals, is feeling overwhelmed, or is unsure how to parent well through a new stage of development.
How long have you been working with anxiety, and how long have you been in St. Louis?
I worked with kids with anxiety, aggression and ADHD for 11 years before becoming a Parent Coach 5 years ago. Though I do not diagnose individuals during the coaching process, I still address anxiety as a root cause to both child and parent behavior during parent coaching sessions.
I have been in St. Louis for 6 years.
Who are your favorite types of clients to work with?
I love working with parents who are willing to be honest about their own stress, challenges, and triggers. I'd love to work with any parent who is willing to observe their own behavior and is open to making changes to themselves first - rather than expecting their kids to be more mature. And, I love working with any parent who is willing to embrace imperfection as part of this process - none of us are doing this parenting thing perfectly, and that's OK!
What happens during a first appointment with you?
All sessions are held online via Zoom, so we will both log in on our devices and be able to hear and see each other on the screen. The first 15 minutes or so, you will have a chance to talk through your current parenting challenge. I'll ask questions about your child's personality and development. We will discuss what you've tried already, what works, and what doesn't work at this point. From there, we will focus on one or two specific parenting challenges. Looking at them critically, being curious about the root of the behavior. By the end of the session, you will have 1-3 new strategies to try over the next two weeks before our follow up appointment.
Could you talk a little about your approach and how it plays into your work with kids and families with anxiety and behaviors?
My approach focuses on being curious about the roots of behavior, rather than just addressing the observable behaviors. I believe kids are doing the best they can with the skills they have at the time. When we are curious, we uncover lacking skills, big feelings (that are often covered by anger), social challenges, sensory concerns, and other issues that impact their anxiety or behavior. Addressing these issues gives the kids the skills they need to manage difficult situations with confidence and helps parents be empathetic and patient during the process.
What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for family issues, anxiety or behavioral concerns?
Help is available! It's OK that you're overwhelmed, confused, or frustrated with your current situation. Many professionals, myself included, read, research, and think about these issues constantly. It's our passion and we are honored to share our knowledge and support with you. As a parent coach, I am not here to judge you or criticize how you've managed things so far, this is a safe place to address concerns, make changes when applicable, and move forward in a positive direction.
How can people learn more and contact you?
You can learn more about me and read parenting tips on my website: Imperfectfamilies.com
The best way to contact me is via email: nicole@imperfectfamilies.com
Share one fun fact about you that most people don’t know.
I grew up in Chicago but went to Truman State for my undergraduate degree!
You can find more about Nicole and Parent Coaching at:
Feeling like you need some parent support?
Our parent coaching program is like therapy for parents, helping you come up with a plan for how to cope with parenting when it feels overwhelming.
Curious to know more about Compassionate Counseling St. Louis? Kelsey Torgerson Dunn, MSW, LCSW specializes in anxiety and anger management for kids, teens and college students in St. Louis, MO. You can set up a free phone consultation with her by visiting her website, www.compassionatecounselingstl.com/consult. We work with kids, teens, and families throughout Clayton, Brentwood, Ladue, Creve Couer, and West County. And if we’re not the best fit, we’ll help connect you with other amazing St. Louis counselors, therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists - just like Nicole!
This post was originally published July 23, 2019 and updated June 25, 2024.