When your child is angry, anxious, or easily overwhelmed, you do your best as a parent - and sometimes it feels like too much. That’s where parent coaching comes in.

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. And we have a fabulous resource online and in St. Louis - Nicole Schwarz!

For some kids with anxiety and anger management, individual therapy is the best bet. We can work individually to help them build the skills they need to manage their emotions before they feel too big.

For other kids, individual therapy helps, but it’s not enough on its own. That’s where parent coaching comes in.

Read below to learn more about how Nicole works with parent coaching tailored to parenting styles.

I often refer people who are parenting anxious children to Nicole, because of her understanding and empathetic approach. I’m so excited to share this interview with you all!

Why did you choose to become a Parent Coach in St. Louis?

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.

Therapy is not a one-size fits all approach.

Sometimes, a somatic experience and a sensory rich environment can really resonate for those teens who are a bit more closed off. It can be hard for teens to open up, especially when they feel so overwhelmed. At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis we work hard to tailor our approach to your child’s needs even when they struggle with talking about their emotions - and, we want to connect you to other awesome resources that can support the therapy we’re doing with you and your child.

This month, we’re so excited to share our interview with Equine-Assisted Psycotherapist, Kit Maxwell about her experience working with horses. She discusses how this type of therapy helps teens with their anxiety in a way that grounds them and strengthens their awareness. Read more below about her expertise!

We know that for many of our clients, talking about how they feel can be tough. Sometimes it’s challenging to open up; especially, when anxiety can be really overwhelming and we aren’t sure how to express how we feel. Somatic-based therapies like Brainspotting can be really excellent tools for helping in those situations.

As we continue our Helping Professionals Interview Series, we are so excited to share our interview with Certified Brainspotting Therapist, Brittany Bagy. Brittany is an awesome resource and focuses on helping her clients gain clarity and holistic healing. Read more below about how she helps treat anxiety, perfectionism and grief.

Both parents and kids can benefit from child psychological testing

It’s no secret that teens experience a lot of change. Starting new schools and meeting new people can be overwhelming. All of that change can make it hard to communicate how they're feeling, especially to their families. It’s important for teens to know that they aren’t alone in how they feel and it’s okay to be anxious!

Dr. Dan Weinstein, PsyD, helps people find their strength and accept who they are by utilizing CBT and elements of DBT. It’s his dedication to his patients (and his juggling skills!) that makes us so excited to have interviewed him for today’s blog! Please read more about his practice below!

Why did you choose to become a psychologist in St. Louis?

I am from St. Louis and I chose to be a psychologist because of my interest that began at age 9 with a family friend who was working on his Ph.D. in psychology at Wash. U.

Deciding on your college and figuring out how to apply in the first place can be STRESSFUL.

It causes a bunch of anxiety in the many, many highschoolers and college-aged students I work with. And while I’ve written on How to Prepare Your Anxious Highschooler for College and Parenting Your Anxious College Student, sometimes you need really specific information and to do lists from someone who does more than just the emotional/stress management side of college. That’s where Joann comes in!

I’m so excited to share our interview below! Joann also has one book out and another on the way, helping to walk parents and teens through the whole college application process (links below).

Joann: I provide college counseling for teens who are trying to navigate the college admissions process. 

I work with helping them identify colleges and/or majors that may be a potential fit, brainstorming the essay, creating an activity list/resume, completing the Common App, organizational skills, help with scholarships, interviewing, talking about their fears and concerns, answering questions, and whatever else comes with the college process. 

Kelsey: Could you talk a little about your approach and how you modify it when working with teens who have anxiety/perfectionism/stress/anger management?

Joann: The interesting thing about what I do is that nearly everyone has stress about the college process, not just those with diagnoses.  It might be the idea of leaving home and the fear it invokes or it might be just being anxious about getting it all done and making a good decision.  For people who have anxiety or perfectionism issues, though, college counseling can be especially helpful because we can separate fact from fiction and ‘urban legend’. Knowledge is powerful and knowing when to ask for help is a sign of intelligence!  Being able to ask questions freely is a great help to reducing students’ stress. For the anxious student, breaking down the steps into manageable baby steps has proven very stress-relieving as well! Being able to talk in a safe environment away from the school day where students can voice their opinions, fears, and concerns reduces stress and anxiety.  They are in a place where they can be their true selves.  Meeting regularly can help keep the student on track and not get off-course further reducing stress.

When you’re looking for help with your or your child’s anxiety or OCD, you want a specialist - not just someone who is ok working with it.

That’s why I’m so excited to have interviewed Angela Adamson, a fellow anxiety specialist located here in St. Louis.

“One of the most effective skills for treating anxiety is doing exposures. Exposures are how we test out beliefs. I work with you and your child to develop a step-by-step, achievable plan to test out fears. When we face our fears while using cognitive tools, we can rewire the way our brain processes anxiety. Over time, when people change both their thoughts and behaviors around anxiety, the symptoms of anxiety start to decrease.“

What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for anxiety disorders?

I wish people knew how treatable anxiety disorders are when you have the right skills. It's not easy, but it is absolutely treatable. I also wish more people knew how strong they really are EVEN when they feel anxiety.