Frequently Asked Questions

A parenting coach is a parenting specialist who can give expert help and advice to help you with your child’s behaviour.  It could be anything from your child not sleeping, tantrums, having problems getting a child to do homework, stealing, a teenager going off the rails, or anything you find difficult to deal with.

It is not coaching in the traditional sense of the word, because I will show you effective ways to change your child’s behaviour.

Before we start working together, I need to find out about what issues you’re dealing with. You can have a free 20-minute call with me, free of charge, to check if parenting coaching is right for you.

During this call, I’ll let you know how many sessions will be needed to get the issues sorted. If you’re happy to go ahead, I’ll ask you to fill out a background form, with questions about lots of different aspects of your child (or children’s) lives.

I will make a list of all the problems and issues, work out what parenting skills or strategies you need to get it sorted, and then teach you those strategies on your session(s).

No, I don’t need to see your child.

The most important thing is that YOU know how to deal with your child and change their behaviour. I will ask you to complete a background form, to help me understand every issue you’re dealing with. So, I can work out what to do and what skills you’ll need.

As you go through the sessions I’ll ask you questions to check how your child is behaving using the new strategies. I can then tweak the strategies so that they work well for your child.

These skills will be effective not just now, but in the months and years ahead.

I don’t deal with

• Children with profound autism
• Children unable to speak
• Severe mental health issues
• Children 17 or over
• Teenage drug addiction
• Parental drug or alcohol addiction
• Anger Management Courses
• Domestic Violence Courses
• Parents with severe learning difficulties
• Parents who don’t speak English

I can help to change children’s difficult behaviour. Including:

• Sleep problems
• Negativity
• Anger
• Tantrums
• Friendship issues
• Issues specific to raising twins or triplets
• Special needs
• Bullying
• Sibling rivalry
• Issues
• Rudeness
• Hitting or biting
• Homework hassles
• Ignoring
• Not working at school
• Worries or anxieties
• Bedtime issues
• Morning fusses
• Mobile phone issues
• Limiting screen time
• Helping children cope with divorce
• Parenting course for child contact
• Any issues with a child’s difficult behaviour

At the moment, I work with all 1:1 clients.

In the future, you may be given options to work with a coach trained by me

I only work with 8 families at a time.

Because of the planning and work involved to make sure you have the full level of service you deserve, initially, you may have to go on a waiting list.

The free introductory phone call is to make sure I can help, and explain how I work. I need to be sure that you are willing to change and open to using the new skills you’ll learn.

If you need to do a court-ordered parenting course, but aren’t interested in genuinely becoming the best mum or dad you can be for your child, I will ask you to look elsewhere for a course.

There’s nothing quite like sitting down with me, with a cup of tea or coffee, so you can discuss issues with your child, comfortably and openly.

Some parents travel for up to two hours, to do sessions face to face. Or come and stay in Horsham, at a local ‘Bed and Breakfast’ hotel, and do the sessions over two days.

However, I work with parents across the UK, in Europe, USA and Australia using Skype.

Half of my clients have never met me face-to-face. Sometimes clients who live near me, choose to do sessions by Skype, so they can do the sessions after their children have gone to bed. However, 8pm is usually the latest I will start a session, so you’re not too tired to concentrate.

• A laptop or device which has Skype, which is free to download. During the sessions, I will share my screen with you, so you can see the sheets we’re covering, so your screen will need to be big enough to read the sheets.
• A reasonable internet connection.
• A printer (preferable but not essential) to print off the worksheets I’ll send you before each session. However, that’s not essential.

If you prefer, you don’t need to have your camera on.  I just need to be able to share my screen during the session.

If you don’t have any of the above, it will make doing the sessions trickier, however it is still possible to do sessions over the phone and e-mail the sheets just before the sessions, that we’ll work through.

I try to be as flexible as I can because I know that parents are busy.

I prefer to do the sessions Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5pm.

However, I can also do sessions in the evenings.

Or on a Saturday or Sunday between 9 and 5.

I prefer payment by bank transfer.

Your invoice will include my bank sort code and account number.

However, you can also pay by PayPal.

All payments need to be cleared 48 hours before the session starts.

If you want to stage payments you can arrange regular direct debit payments and there is a 15% surcharge for this facility.

Sometimes just one session is needed. Sometimes it takes three sessions.

The most you would need is six sessions. I will talk to you on the phone before we start, and let you know how many sessions I think you’ll need.

Check the site for special offers. Where, if you do six sessions, and you pay in full before the second session, you’ll get a seventh session, free of charge, as a bonus. That can be used to keep everything on track, and to deal with any new problems that crop up, after the course.

Yes, some parents like to sign up for ‘Peace of Mind’ sessions.

Normally that is an hour’s session, once every two months, for 10 months. 5 sessions in total.

This allows you to have some accountability, keep your parenting on track and tackle any new issues that arise.

Each parenting session lasts 90 minutes. We cover a lot in that time so you’ll need to be ready to concentrate. Most parents say the time just flies by.

However, this needs to suit you! If you know you will struggle to concentrate for 90 minutes at a time, you can do the course in ten 60-minute sessions, at a small extra cost.

It’s best to do the sessions every week or every two weeks.

That gives you a chance to practice the skills in between the sessions and keep up momentum.

In my experience, for the best results for you and your child, all six session should be completed within three months.

You are investing in your child and in your family life.

I am a parenting specialist with many years’ experience.

It’s not just the sessions you’re paying for, it’s the expertise to solve the difficulties you’re having.

Plus, if you pay for six sessions, you also have me to hold your hand with unlimited texts and e-mails between the sessions, so you can get help and support whenever you need it.

If possible, it’s best to do the sessions with your husband, wife or partner, so that you have a united front, and you both use the same skills and techniques, with your child.

However, many parents do the sessions on their own, for a variety of reasons.

Your child is going to feel much happier at home, after you complete the parenting sessions.

However, if your child is over the age of 7, they may be a bit suspicious about what changes may happen after your parenting sessions. They may imagine I’ll be like a really strict Super Nanny. So, it may be best not to mention the parenting sessions until after you complete the course.

I’m completely confident this will work.

Therefore, if you put the skills you learn into practice, and the issues you mentioned on your background form aren’t solved or significantly reduced, you can have your money back. There are very few professionals who would be willing to offer you that!

Each time you do a parenting session, you’ll have the chance to talk about exactly how your child is responding to the new skills and techniques. That way we can tweak things so they work for your child.

My work is highly specialised, and the price is fixed.

However, on occasions I have a special offer, that if you pay in full before the second session of the offer you a seventh session free of charge 4 to 6 weeks after we finish and check that everything is still working the sessions to tackle any new problems.

After each session, it’s important to practice the skills you learned during the session. Sometimes it takes a little while to get used to using the new skills and strategies.

It’s a bit like learning any new skill. If you were learning French – it would take a while until you were fluent. If you were learning to drive a car, it would take time and practice until you could drive confidently, without even thinking about it.

The more you practice, the easier it will get. However, at the start, it will take a fair bit of concentration and effort to get it right.

At the beginning of each session we’ll check up how things have been at home We’ll talk about any problems you been having and how your child has responded it to the new strategies.

During each session, we’ll aim to cover two new skills.

After the session, you will go home with specific instructions with two or three things (home play) to practice before the next session.

If you do the sessions face to face I will print out or all the sheets you’ll need.

However, if you do the sessions on Skype I will send you some sheets before the session to print off.

Those will be the sheets you complete during the session.

At the end of each Skype sessions I will send you all the sheets we have gone through during the session.

You can then choose to print them off where you can refer to them. Or save them to your device or laptop.

My most important qualification is I’m the mother of four children. So, I have over 30 years’ experience of all the difficulties in raising children.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and I have also worked for five years for Home-Start, a charity that supports families with children under 5. I have also worked for the YMCA, helping parents who have suffered from abuse or neglect and the past to break the cycle of abuse.

I have trained to run four different types of parenting courses:

• The Parent Practice
• Parent Gym
• The Solihull Approach
• Webster Stratton’s Incredible Years

I am also accredited by ‘Can Parent.’ A bit like OFSTED for parenting courses.

I’ve been running my business, Parent 4 Success for nine years helping parents solve numerous issues.

So, you can be certain you’re in safe hands.