Parenting & Behavior

Understand your child. Understand yourself as a parent. Find what works for your family.

Because parents bring their own history, beliefs, temperament, family culture, stress level, expectations, and models of parenting into the relationship. And then your behavioral background lets you add concrete tools that actually fit that parent, rather than prescribing one “right” parenting style.

Understanding your child is only part of it.

Parenting has a way of bringing up parts of ourselves we didn't even know were there.

You might hear yourself saying something your own parent used to say and think, I swore I would never say that. Or maybe you're trying so hard to parent differently from how you were raised that you're not always sure what you want to do instead.

Maybe you grew up in a home where obedience was expected and emotions weren't really talked about. Maybe conflict was avoided. Maybe expectations were incredibly high—or there weren't enough boundaries at all.

And then there are all the other messages around you: how your partner parents, how your parents or in-laws think you should parent, what your friends are doing, what you've read online, and the endless stream of advice about what a “good parent” is supposed to do.

All of that comes into the room with us when we parent.

So part of our work may be understanding you, too.

How were you parented? What did you learn about emotions, behavior, discipline, and connection? What comes naturally to you? What pushes your buttons? What are you intentionally trying to do differently? And what kind of parent do you actually want to be?

Then we find tools that fit you.

I don't believe there is one perfect parenting approach that every family needs to follow.

I can bring you ideas from behavioral science, psychotherapy, child development, and my years of working with children and families. But I'm not going to hand you a parenting script that feels completely unnatural and tell you that you just need to follow it consistently.

A strategy isn't particularly useful if you hate it, don't believe in it, or can't realistically use it when your child is melting down and you're trying to get everyone out the door.

Instead, we'll figure out what works within your own wheelhouse, values, personality, and comfort level.

Sometimes that means learning a completely new way of responding. Sometimes it's making a small adjustment to something you're already doing. And sometimes it's realizing that you actually know your child pretty well—you just need help trusting yourself and understanding why something isn't working.

I want to give you more than parenting tools. I want to help you understand your child, understand yourself as a parent, and feel more confident deciding what works for your family.