Parent and Caregiver Coaching
Practical, judgment-free guidance for parents, stepparents, grandparents, teen parents, and other caregivers raising and supporting children.
Parent and Caregiver Coaching is available regardless of location because it is a nonclinical coaching service. No mental health diagnosis, psychotherapy, or clinical treatment is provided.
Coaching may be used for one focused concern or continued over multiple sessions as your family’s needs evolve.
Parenting Does Not Come With One Instruction Manual
Every child, caregiver, household, and family structure is different. Advice that works well for one family may create more frustration in another.
Parent and Caregiver Coaching provides a supportive space to examine what is happening, identify what may be contributing to the challenge, and develop practical strategies that fit your household, values, responsibilities, and relationship with the child.
Coaching is not about judging your parenting or telling you that there is only one “right” way to raise a child. It is a collaborative process designed to help you make thoughtful decisions, communicate more effectively, and respond with greater consistency and confidence.
Who Can Participate?
Parent and Caregiver Coaching is inclusive of:
First-time parents
Expectant parents
Teen parents
Stepparents
Single parents
Grandparents raising or supporting grandchildren
Foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers
Co-parents navigating different households
Parents welcoming another child under new or different circumstances
Caregivers supporting a child through a major transition or new diagnosis
Adults preparing to take on a parenting or caregiving role
Private coaching sessions may include one caregiver or up to two parents or caregivers working together.
How Parent and Caregiver Coaching Can Help
Coaching may help families navigate:
Preparing for a first child
Welcoming a new child under different family, relationship, financial, or life circumstances
Adjusting after a child receives a new medical, developmental, educational, or mental health diagnosis
Responding to defiant, disruptive, or challenging behaviors
Creating household routines and realistic expectations
Building responsibility, character, and age-appropriate independence
Improving communication between caregivers and children
Establishing consistent boundaries and consequences
Reducing conflict between parents or caregivers
Co-parenting across separate households
Navigating the role of a stepparent or nonprimary caregiver
Managing transitions involving school, separation, relocation, remarriage, or a new sibling
Identifying when a child or caregiver may benefit from additional professional support
Parent coaching does not diagnose the child or replace therapy, medical care, educational services, or family treatment.
Coaching Options
Private Parent and Caregiver Coaching
Private coaching focuses on the needs of one family. One caregiver or up to two parents or caregivers may attend.
Sessions may be scheduled one time for a specific concern or repeated to support continued planning, skill-building, accountability, and adjustment.
Group Parent and Caregiver Coaching
Group coaching allows parents and caregivers facing similar concerns to learn together, exchange perspectives, and practice practical strategies in a professionally guided environment.
Group topics, schedules, eligibility, and fees may vary by program.
Participation in group coaching is educational and supportive. It is not group therapy, and participants are expected to respect the privacy of others.
What to Expect
1. Identify the Concern
We begin by discussing what is happening, who is involved, what you have already tried, and what you would like to improve.
2. Understand the Family Context
We consider the child’s age, family structure, household routines, caregiver roles, communication patterns, and any recent changes affecting the family.
3. Develop Practical Strategies
Together, we identify realistic approaches that may include communication tools, routines, expectations, boundaries, reinforcement, consequences, or caregiver coordination.
4. Put the Plan Into Practice
You leave with clear next steps to try between sessions rather than a pile of advice with no plan for using it.
5. Adjust as Needed
You may return for additional coaching to discuss what worked, what did not, and what needs to change.
Coaching may be completed as a single session or continued for as long as it remains useful and appropriate.
Why I Support Parents and Caregivers
I began providing parent coaching in 2018 because I understood that caregivers often receive plenty of criticism but not enough practical support.
My interest in supporting families began with my own upbringing. I was raised by a single father, which gave me an early view of the responsibility, sacrifice, problem-solving, and resilience involved in raising a child while carrying multiple roles.
I am also a stepparent to two—an adult who is now a parent and a teenager. Neither live in my household, so my experience has required me to navigate relationships, expectations, and co-parenting across different homes and two distinct family systems.
I understand what it can feel like to be the person trying to support and guide a child while also respecting the role, authority, and parenting approach of another household. Being the “outsider” in a parenting system can create uncertainty: when to speak, when to step back, how to remain consistent, and how to build trust without overstepping.
These experiences do not mean that my family has been perfect or that one approach works for everyone. They allow me to bring professional knowledge and real-life perspective into a coaching relationship that respects the complexity of modern families.
My goal is not to parent for you. It is to help you think more clearly, respond more intentionally, and build strategies you can confidently use within your own family.
— Alexis McCray, Ed.S., LPC
Founder and CEO, Elevated Horizons Mental Health
Fees
Adult parent or caregiver coaching: $125 for 45 minutes
Teen parent coaching: $75 for 45 minutes
One-time and recurring sessions are available. Group coaching fees vary by program and will be provided before registration.
Parent and Caregiver Coaching is a self-pay, nonclinical service and is not billed to health insurance.
Coaching Versus Therapy
Parent and Caregiver Coaching:
Focuses on current parenting or caregiving concerns
Provides education, planning, strategies, and accountability
Does not diagnose a mental health condition
Does not provide psychotherapy or clinical treatment
Does not create a therapist-client relationship
Is not a substitute for emergency, medical, legal, or mental health services
If concerns arise that require clinical evaluation or therapy, appropriate professional services may be recommended.
Build a Parenting Approach That Fits Your Family
You do not have to wait until your household is in crisis to ask for support. Coaching can help you prepare for a new role, respond to a current concern, or strengthen the routines and relationships your family already has.