We help parents navigate
complex family challenges.
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We are Parent Coach Professionals
An experienced, highly trained, and credentialed team of passionate coaches dedicated to supporting parents who are helping their teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult confront the challenges of increasing independence. With more than 150 years of combined experience – we help parents focus on their familial relationships, strategize new tools and solutions, and more effectively assist in moving their adolescent/young adult to greater self-reliance.
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Utilizing the ICF’s Core Competencies and Code of Ethics, Parent Coach Professionals supports parents through an objective process of interactive phone sessions covering both coach-led and parent-led topics personalized to that parent’s unique situation and family dynamic. Specifically, we assist with:
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Developing stronger, more effective communication
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Establishing and maintaining age appropriate boundaries
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Exploring the impact of different parenting styles, patterns, and family dynamics
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Gaining clearer understanding of learning styles and academic challenges
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Identifying supportive tools and techniques to address specific developmental processes
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Supporting parents in allowing and enhancing opportunities for increasing independence
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"Working with a parent coach has helped me to change my relatioship with my dauther. It has empored me to create boundaries and navigate hard conversations."
Parent Client
OVERVIEW
What We Do
The Parent Coach Professionals team helps parents who need guidance and support in dealing with a teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult confronting the challenges of increasing independence. Our strength-based coaching model provides structure that allows you to gain the skills and confidence needed to parent more effectively. We work with you to help you see your familial relationships differently and provide the action steps, education, and encouragement that will allow your family to examine current patterns that exist, (re)establish balance, and move forward.
Our goal is to help parents navigate the process of shifting their challenges into an opportunity to build a healthy, powerful, life-long relationship with their teen/young adult using a progressive and solution-focused approach. We help you assess a situation and develop a strategic approach allowing you to find clear direction, a healthy perspective, and ultimately feel empowered.
Specifically, our clients are parents/guardians of adolescents, young adults, or post-secondary individuals with:
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School/academic issues
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Learning disabilities
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Social adjustment difficulties
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Mental illness
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Trauma
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Abuse or addiction
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Family dynamic issues
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Independent living difficulties
In addition to parents with children still at home, we support parents whose teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult is:
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Enrolled in traditional or therapeutic schools
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At a residential treatment center
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Participating in a gap year program
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Living in a long term, home-based program
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Enrolled in a wilderness or adventure based setting
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Receiving independent living skills in a young adult transition program
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Enrolled at a college/university
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Transitioning from one level of care to another
How We Do It
First, we want to hear your story to assure that we fully understand your family’s dynamics, values, strengths, challenges, and hopes for the future. Collaboratively, your Parent Coach will work with you to develop a personalized action plan addressing your immediate and future concerns while providing support as you begin to implement new parenting strategies and techniques. Your Parent Coach will encourage you to stay focused, motivated, and accountable throughout the partnership, offering healthy perspective as you move forward.
History of Excellence
With more than 150 years of combined experience supporting clients on six continents (see map below), our team is well versed in understanding how to help you navigate various family configurations and dynamics.
Additionally, your Parent Coach can become an integral part of a team when other professionals are also helping the family. Whether your teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult is seeing a mental health professional; working with an educational consultant; attending a specialty program; or simply facing developmental challenges, we will help guide you through the processes of shifting perspective, reducing stress, and transforming your relationship.
Parent Coach Professionals has worked with families from countries around the world.
ABOUT US
All of our Parent Coaches have extensive experience working with various types of parents worldwide who have successfully navigated multiple challenges, including:
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Adolescents, young adults, and post-secondary students
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Adoption/non-traditional families
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Learning differences and/or executive functioning/processing skills
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Clinical/mood disorders
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Anxiety/depression
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Autism spectrum
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Recovery (drug, alcohol, and technology)
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Family dynamics
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Gender identity
Mary is a Certified Parent Coach with over 20 years experience working in therapeutic programs for adolescents, young adults and families. Her professional experience includes positions as a Wilderness Field Instructor, Admissions Director, Assistant Head of School and Executive Director. Prior to joining PCP Mary served as the Director of Family Services and Outreach, facilitating parent workshops and supporting families through difficult transitions.
Mary holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and Human Relations.
In her free time Mary enjoys running, skiing, climbing, reading, volunteering for her favorite nonprofit 'Girls on the Run' and traveling with her husband and son.
Colin, an Associate Certified Coach, has been coaching young adults since 2008. Prior to working at PCP, he started his own small business called “Run For Your Life” coaching where he used running/jogging as a platform for the coaching process. He also spent 7 years working at a college support program where he served as a Life Coach, Student Life Director and Admissions Director. Colin has also done several presentations on working with struggling college students at conferences across the country.
Colin holds a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Oregon and is a graduate of the International Behavioral Coaching Institute.
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In his free time, Colin enjoys being outdoors, camping in his 1984 camper van and running ultra marathons. He is the dog father to his 85 pound English Lab, Captain Gus.
Colleen Oshier, BS, ACC, NLP
Parent Coach
Colleen has three decades of experience working with children of all ages with behavioral, substance use and trauma issues as well as with adolescents in both psychiatric residential facilities and therapeutic boarding schools. In these various roles, she developed programs, facilitated groups and workshops for both students and parents, and supervised counselors.
Colleen chaired a County Prevention Coalition for a number of years and was a member of a state Suicide Prevention Coalition. She also taught Equine Assisted Learning with the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah.
In her free time, Colleen enjoys traveling, skiing, hiking, books and exploring, spending time with family, and lifelong learning.
Shannon Earle, MA, CPC
Young Adult and Parent Coach
Shannon has been coaching parents for 13 years as a certified parent coach. She utilizes the concepts of neural science to help people rewire their cognitive responses to opportunities, expectations, and stressors. Coaching young adults over the years, she is skilled at building relationships with them, assisting them in learning how to find their path. She has been working in therapeutic boarding schools for 20 years as a mentor, program director, creator and teacher of parent workshops.
Shannon is a Certified Waldorf High School teacher and holds a Master’s degree from Gonzaga University in Communication and Leadership.
In her free time Shannon loves to travel, hike, enjoy the outdoors, and dance in her living room.
Barb Cass
Founder & Parent Coach Emeriti
After nearly 40 years in the indusry, Barb is stepping into a well deserved retirement. She is excited to spend more time with her family and her horse Blaze
Vicki Jones
Founder and Parent Coach Emeriti
After nearly 40 years in the industry, Vicki is stepping into a well deserved retirement. She is looking forward to spending time with friends and family and traveling in her van with her rescue dog Bodie.
"Our Parent Coach has worked with our family to develop strategies, techniques and skills in understanding our struggling teen and each other. She challenges us to be our best."
+ Simone / Parent of teen at home
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Coaching?
According to the International Coach Federation, coaching is defined as:
“Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The coach’s responsibility is to:
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Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
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Encourage client self-discovery
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Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
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Hold the client responsible and accountable”
For a detailed explanation of how coaching differs from therapy, consulting, mentoring, or training, please visit the ICF website.
What is Parent Coaching?
Parent Coaching provides a skills-based model to help evaluate the current situation between parents and their children; identify the parent’s strengths and abilities; and explore possibilities and solutions. The parent and Parent Coach work collaboratively, creating the greatest opportunity for long-term familial success.
How Does Coaching Work?
Parent Coach Professionals’ coaching services use a strengths-based, non-therapeutic model of support. Our Parent Coaches work cooperatively with the family, professionals, and program/school to:
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Implement a plan to address immediate concerns
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Create structure and maintain age appropriate boundaries
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Instill confidence in parenting skills
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Support the work of specialty schools and programs
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Develop more effective communication skills
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Create a successful transition plan as needed
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Provide ongoing teaching and education for parents
Who will be My Parent Coach?
We assess each situation individually and provide the Parent Coach we believe will be most effective for your particular needs. All Parent Coaches are highly trained, qualified, and credentialed, and each coach has hundreds of hours of experience collaborating with parents to strengthen their familial relationships.
Are Other Professionals Included in this Process?
If your teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult is already enrolled in a school or program, then Parent Coach Professionals will interface with that program’s professionals as needed. If your teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult is at home, then we will work with support professionals upon your request.
Does the Coaching Process Include My Teen, Young Adult, or Post-secondary Adult?
Your teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult may be included in the parent coaching process - or independently - if they are:
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Currently living in your home or on their own
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Enrolled in a program, school, or treatment center that supports the coaching process
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Transitioning to another program, school, home or independent living situation
When you contract with us for the Home Consultation plan (see below), your teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult and additional family members will be included in that home visit. At times, teens, young adults, or post-secondary adults do choose to continue meeting with the Parent Coach after the home visit.
What are Your Fees?
After an initial phone consultation, we will determine the level of service that best addresses your unique situation. Our services are offered in packages that include a set number of 50-minutes calls. In order to provide the best possible service, we ask for an initial contract of 6 sessions, at $1100.
Additionally, Parent Coach Professionals offers a Home Consultation Package, which includes 12 coaching sessions and a two-day home visit ($4,500, not including travel expenses). The home visit provides a family workshop that concentrates on communication styles, values identification, and concrete steps for moving forward. A home agreement is then crafted to outline the behaviors, incentives, and consequences that align with the parents’ values and vision. For students that are already enrolled in a program or school, your Parent Coach will work closely with you and that placement to facilitate a coordinated effort during the transition process.
Often, parents contract for the Home Consultation Package when they need additional support for their student’s program transition plan, or when a teen, young adult, or post-secondary adult is:
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Living at home long-term (i.e., after completing high school and/or college)
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Coming home from an out of home placement
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Coming home for the summer
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Coming home for a while before transitioning to another program, school, or college
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Suspended from school or college and parents need support in creating a plan for success
How Do I Make a Payment?
Parent Coach Professionals accepts payment by check or Venmo. Please refer to the paperwork you’ve received from your Parent Coach about how to pay by check.
