FAQs

A parent coach is a non-judgmental professional who helps parents develop a better relationship with their child(ren) and create a happier family. A parent coach provides customized support and advice based on your specific family’s needs. Dr. Renee is a highly trained, caring professional who builds relationships with parents in order to provide a constant source of encouragement, compassion and positivity. She considers it her primary role to support and gently guide parents as they deal with the challenges of raising happy, healthy and well-adjusted children.

Parent Coaching offers support to help parents get through the everyday challenges of parenting. At Helping Parents Parent, Dr. Renee is here to give you the extra bit of support and information you need, or to dive in deeper and provide one-on-one consultations and solutions. She works together with you to identify your strengths and to develop strategies to address the challenges you face. Whether you feel you need a little, or a lot of support, our goal is to put the “fun back in dysFUNctional families” and offer you solutions which you can implement in your home immediately.

• Power Struggles
• Discipline Issues
• Establishing Authority as a Parent
• Planning For and Managing Transitions
• School/Homework Challenges
• Bedtime/sleep problems
• Sibling Rivalry
• New Baby/Sibling
• Eating and Meal Problems
• Lack of Respect
• Chores
• Separation Anxiety
• Temper Tantrums
• Co-Parenting
• Getting Couples on the Same Page
• Single Parenting

And more…

Dr. Renee earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester with a concentration in Psychology and Business, an MS in Education from the University of Rochester, and her MA in Psychology from the University of Hartford.  She obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology at the University of Hartford.

Yes. One of the biggest challenges of parenting is that each partner brings his or her own perspective and knowledge of parenting along with his or her background and experience of being parented. Parenting together is an important skill that leads to healthier relationships and happier families.

Helping Parents Parent offers multiple ways to support your family.

1. Parent Groups: You can choose an in-person or online (teleconference) weekly parent group that covers a range of topics and lets parents share their experiences, challenges and celebrations with each other.

2. Workshops and Classes: Parents can also choose to take a 4 week workshop, available in-person or online (live webinars with a Question and Answer session). Helping Parents Parent also offers individual or multiple session classes that are available to parents at their convenience.

3. Individual Coaching: One-on-One Coaching can take place over the phone, in-person, or via Skype. Dr. Renee will take time to listen to your concerns regarding your current parenting challenges in order to get your perspective and to develop an understanding of your unique situation. Together, you and Dr. Renee will create goals based on research and experience.   There will be strategies and assignments for parents to work on in between sessions in order to reach these goals. You and Dr. Renee will continually evaluate the progress and adjust goals and strategies as needed.

Whether you are part of a group, a workshop, or a one-on-one coaching experience with Dr. Renee, you can expect compassion, understanding, support and a bit of humor. You can also expect questions, step-by-step guidance, and assignments — some of which may challenge you.

By meeting with a Parent Coach and doing the work assigned, you can expect a calmer, happier family that has less yelling and more laughing.

The benefits and goal of working with a Parent Coach is to develop a calmer, happier family where intra-family bonds are stronger by:

• Developing clarity
• Identifying stumbling blocks, obstacles and triggers
• Discovering and optimizing your strengths
• Learning new parenting skills with step-by-step directions and support
• Learning tools and strategies that make parenting more enjoyable
• Setting goals and achieving them

No. At this time we are unable to accept insurance to cover our services. We offer parent education and support, not a mental health diagnosis, which is what insurance companies require in order to cover services.

We recommend that you start by exploring the many options on this to learn more about the various services we offer.

All parents face challenges at some point!   Sometimes you need a little support and guidance and other times you need more. Depending on your specific needs and desire to change your situation, you may choose to join a group session, attend an in-person or online workshop, take one of our online classes at your own convenience, or schedule one-on-one sessions with Dr. Renee.

Helping Parents Parent requires a 24 hour cancellation notice if you will be unable to attend a one-on-one session.   If sessions are cancelled with less than a 24 hour notice, you will be charged for that session.

Group sessions and Workshops are often repeated and you may be able to make up a session at a future group or workshop if space is available.

Yes. Many parents benefit from being in a group with other parents. You can join a current group, or, if you have a couple of friends and would like a regular space and time to gather and learn parenting skills, Helping Parents Parent can make that happen. Please contact DrRenee@HelpingParentsParent.com for more information.

Yes, if you join one of our weekly Parent Groups you will have the opportunity to work with other parents in similar situations. While each session has a specific topic that will be facilitated by a Dr. Renee, there is plenty of time for parents to interact with each other. We keep the groups relatively small (8-12 people) so that parents have an opportunity to face challenges together, provide each other with ideas, input, and support, and to celebrate our successes.

Yes. Dr. Renee is trained as a Clinical Psychologist and maintains very high standards and ethics practices regarding her clients.

All parents who join a Parent Group will learn about and review a confidentiality clause, and are required to keep private matters confidential in order to participate in the group.

Therapists, or counselors, work with clients on interpersonal relationships and personal or mental conflicts. They diagnose problems and help clients resolve mental and emotional issues through therapy. Coaching helps clients through instruction and training. Coaches work with clients to set and reach goals that will improve their current skill level in order to provide higher levels of success.

Although Dr. Renee is trained as a clinical psychologist, her primary role as a parent coach is to assist you in your current situation and provide guidance, not therapy.   If it becomes apparent that therapy or another modality of treatment is necessary, Dr. Renee will work with you to find someone to assist you at that level.

No. We do not offer Court-Authorized Parenting Classes for couples going through a divorce.  We do offer courses and One-on-One coaching that will help you as you navigate divorce.