Parent Coaching—
A Creative Re-Discovery Process

Our society is at a critical crossroads—so many children struggling; so many parents pulling their hair out not knowing where to turn. A child born today has a 30% chance of having a learning difficulty. Research is showing that most moms and dads of elementary school age kids are spending less than ten minutes a week in actual conversation with their children—yes, that's not a typo—ten minutes a week! Parents are stressed and overwhelmed, yet well-intentioned and wanting to do their best. It's not their fault that our fast-paced culture makes parenting the hardest job they'll ever do.

In the mist of this exhaustion, what if parents could work with a parent coach, a well-trained compassionate professional whose credentials are impeccable? Wouldn't stressed parents begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel working with such wonderful professionals? Absolutely. Research over the past six years on the Parent Coaching Institute's coaching model demonstrates that it reduces parental stress, gives important resources, and most important helps parents see and use theirs strengths, their inner wisdom, and come to appreciate themselves and their children in profound ways. The parent coaching process is energizing and draws forth the highest, creative expression of the entire family.

There will always be challenges in life. How we address those challenges is what is most significant. Can parents keep our center, our self-identity, and our integrity while rearing our children to a self-actualized adulthood? They can more easily with the help of a parent coach—one of the fastest growing professions because there is such a huge need for these services.

Family support professionals can begin their parent coaching journey by researching the training programs available. Working from home while developing the business is an ideal way to get started in this rewarding career. In fact, training for Parent Coach Certification® can take place through distance-learning programs. There are several alternatives for the serious-minded parent coach who recognizes that parents will spend their dollars more easily and readily on parent coaches with success track records.

Look for parent coach training that allows you the most credentials while also allowing flexible studying hours from home. You will then be getting in the groove of home-based work and your transition from student to successful parent coach will be a creative process that you truly enjoy. Besides, the focus on your own creativity during this studying and practicing time will then be a natural part of the creativity that will serve you well when begin coaching moms and dads in your parent coaching business.

All positive, long-lasting change starts from the bottom up. Being a parent coach and working with parents to help them make wise daily decisions is truly where the "rubber hits the road," transforming society, from the bottom up.

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Copyright © 2011 Gloria DeGaetano, all rights reserved.

Gloria DeGaetano is the founder and CEO of The Parent Coaching Institute, the originator of the parent coaching profession and a speaker and author on issues related to parenting well in a media/digital age.

An acclaimed keynote speaker, Gloria is a sought-after favorite for major national and international conferences because she is a recognized leader in family support, and media/digital literacy who provides very specific and practical tools for parents to successfully navigate the stresses of modern day culture. An innovator in parent education, Ms. DeGaetano often trains parent educators and agency staff on how to best help moms and dads in our digital age which often divides family life, making it even more difficult for healthy parent-child relationships. Her popular trainings are tailored to the specific needs of participants, resulting in positive outcomes for the agencies and the parents they serve.

Ms. DeGaetano, a best-selling author, has written Screen Smarts: A Family Guide to Media Literacy; Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV, Movie, and Video Game Violence (with Lt. Col. Dave Grossman), and manuals for parent professionals. Her latest book Parenting Well in a Media Age, has won the 2007 i-Parenting Media Award for excellence. Ms. DeGaetano's books and articles have been translated into Spanish, German, Danish, Romanian, Korean, Chinese, and Turkish. Ms. DeGaetano's ideas and articles have appeared in numerous publications including McCall's American Baby Magazine, The Boston Globe, the American Academy of Pediatrics Newsletter, and Catholic Faith and Family Magazine.

Ms. DeGaetano has appeared on The Today Show to discuss Baby Einstein videos and has been interviewed on many national radio shows, including NPR's Fresh Air and Marketplace, and The Tavis Smiley Show. Ms. DeGaetano has been featured in television documentaries produced by ABC and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation. The Parent Coaching Institute has been featured on news programs by NBC affiliates throughout the country and in newspapers and magazines, including Newsweek, Parents Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, La Tribune, The London Times, The Observer, Better Homes and Gardens, Redbook, Ladies' Home Journal, American Way of American Airlines, The Chicago Daily Herald, and Spirit Magazine of Southwest Airlines.