Services

Services offered for parents, teachers, and organizations:

  • Temperament Consulting
  • Parent Coaching
  • Workshops, Trainings, and Presentations
  • Radio, Television, and Podcast Production and Hosting
  • Facilitation of Groups, Panels, and Meetings.

Temperament Consulting

A person’s temperament is the natural way they move in the world and respond to people, the environment, and ideas or requests.  Understanding temperament helps in building healthy relationships with the children and family members in your life. Participation in a temperament consultation will assist you in reflecting on your child’s unique style and behavior. You will also learn about your own temperament and the “goodness of fit” between you and other family members. We will discuss things like energy level, sensitivity, distractibility, intensity, transitions, frustrations, and adapting to new situations.

I use the temperament profile to develop customized strategies for your parenting challenges and approaches rather then giving “one size fits all” advice. You will discover more about your child’s needs and how to adjust routines and discipline, and develop new approaches to reduce the stress at home and at school.

Temperament Consulting Involves:

  • An initial appointment. If there is another parent who lives at home, it’s best if both of you can come to the first appointment.
  • Filling out an online questionnaire, which results in a temperament profile for you to review. The cost for this is  $10. You receive a sign-in number, and you can use the site as many times as you like for one year. You can create temperament profiles on all of your children.
  • To do a temperament survey on a child from 4 months through 5 years old, go to The Preventive Ounce at http://www.preventiveoz.org. When you have completed the survey you can send me your child’s ID number. 
  • A second appointment to review the temperament profile and develop strategies. I will review the results prior to the appointment and make a copy for you.

The appointments can be in my office, in your home, by phone, SKYPE, or Google Helpouts at  https://helpouts.google.com/113614493099067952761. 

On-going coaching is also available after the consultation.

Parent Coaching

Parents love their children, but sometimes they can’t figure out what a child needs and how that fits with what else is going on for the family. Parents also frequently have different parenting styles that cause conflict and confusion. Single parents sometimes need an objective sounding board to sort out issues and reduce stress.

As a mother of 4, I understand how inadequate parents sometimes feel when they are trying to figure out how to raise their child while paying attention to the many demands of daily living.

Parent coaching is for individuals, couples, single parents, grandparents, or anyone raising a child. My role is to listen to your concerns, suggest ways to observe more about the situations you’re grappling with, and offer suggestions for making small changes that will impact your relationship with your child and also help you become more in touch with your wisdom and values.

These appointments can be spaced as needed by you, and they can include observing your child at home, in childcare, or at school.

In addition I have extensive experience working with parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and challenging behaviors. I am available for parent coaching with a focus on the challenges you face helping your child with ADHD.

I also enjoy doing School Observations to assist you in understanding if your child’s school environment is a good fit for him or her. I’m also available to talk with the school staff or do temperament trainings with them.

Examples of why you might consider a temperament assessment or parent coaching:

  • Your high-energy daughter begs you to play with her as soon as she wakes up, but you need to get ready for work. Her energy annoys you, and if you don’t give in to her wishes she whines or stomps around the house. The power struggles are getting worse.
  • Your son is slow to warm up and sensitive to new people, so when you go to a birthday party he only wants to sit on your lap. He’s hard for you to figure out, and he’s not making friends in pre-school. You worry that something is wrong.
  • You find that you’re yelling more and more when your kids don’t listen. Your son is sensitive to loud noise, and he’s starting to have nightmares. You wonder if your yelling is a part of the problem.
  • Your daughter is acting out at school and it’s really hard to get her to do her homework. She seems unhappy, but won’t talk about it.
  • You get into weekly conflicts with your partner about what to do on the weekends with the kids. You haven’t had much time alone since you both work full time and feel like you should be around for the kids all weekend.
  • You were raised to be strict but your spouse gives in to the kids’ demands on a regular basis. You’re beginning to be hostile to each other and the kids are pushing the limits.

Temperament Consulting or Parent Coaching sessions are not psychotherapy.

I will make referrals for further evaluation or therapy if there are factors that could best be addressed in other ways, or if requested by you.