Introduction to Parent Coaching
Watching your child struggle is one of the hardest experiences for any parent — whether it’s a younger child gripped by anxiety or OCD, or an adult child who can’t seem to move forward into independence. You want to help, but it isn’t always clear how, or whether you might be making things harder without meaning to. That’s where parent coaching comes in. At Gofman Therapy and Consulting, we work with parents in both situations, grounded in a single evidence-based idea: that thoughtful changes in how you respond can help your child face what they’ve been avoiding, increase their resilience, and grow more independent. Our approach draws on the SPACE model (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at Yale, and applies the same principles when supporting parents of older young adults who haven’t yet launched. Parent coaching is available in-person in Westport, CT and virtually across Connecticut and Virginia.
What is Parent Coaching?
Parent coaching is a collaborative approach built on a straightforward idea: that you can help your child by changing your own response. It’s a space for you — sometimes alongside your child’s own therapy or coaching, sometimes on its own — to understand what’s keeping things stuck and work out concrete changes you can make at home. Often, those changes steady the whole household, not just your child.
Whether you’re navigating a younger child’s anxiety or an adult child who hasn’t launched, the work meets you where your family is.
For Parents of Children & Teens with Anxiety or OCD
If your child or teen is struggling with anxiety or OCD, parent coaching gives you a direct way to help — by shifting the patterns at home that can keep the anxiety going, often without anyone realizing it.
At the heart of this work is the SPACE model (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz. This evidence-based framework focuses on empowering parents to make intentional changes in their behavior that support their child’s emotional growth, rather than directly trying to “fix” the child’s anxiety or OCD.
The SPACE model centers on parental accommodation — the ways we contort ourselves and change our lives in our efforts to reduce the distress and discomfort that someone we care about is experiencing. With a child’s anxiety or OCD, that can look like answering the same worried question again and again, helping with rituals, or rearranging family life around a child’s fears. It always comes from love — but over time, it tends to reinforce the very anxiety it’s meant to relieve. By working with you to gradually reduce these accommodations, we help your child face their fears and anxieties in a healthier, more manageable way. The goal isn’t to push your child too hard but to foster an environment where they can learn to manage their emotions and take more responsibility for their actions.
What sets the SPACE model apart is its deep focus on supportive, compassionate parenting that prioritizes the child’s emotional needs. Throughout our sessions, we work together to identify and shift specific parenting strategies that may inadvertently reinforce anxious or compulsive behaviors. This gradual process helps build your child’s coping skills, encourages their independence, and ultimately promotes long-term emotional resilience.
For Parents of Young Adults Who Haven’t Launched
Parent coaching isn’t only for the early years. If you have an adult child who’s stuck — home without a plan, avoiding the steps toward independence, capable but stalled — parent coaching can help you navigate the confusion and uncertainty of wanting to help your child move forward without knowing exactly how.
Accommodation can keep a young adult stuck in much the same way it can intensify a younger child’s anxiety. Just as shielding an anxious child from what scares them keeps the fear alive, covering the bills, smoothing the problems, and softening the consequences — all out of love — removes the discomfort that could otherwise prompt a stuck young adult to act. Parent coaching helps you see where that’s happening in your own home and adjust your response: where to step back, how to hold a boundary, when to let a natural consequence stand. It’s the same supportive, gradual work, scaled to an adult child and what independence looks like at this stage.
Parent coaching can be particularly helpful when your child isn’t ready or willing to engage in support for themselves. It can run alongside your young adult’s own failure to launch coaching or therapy, or happen entirely on your own — and often, a change on your side is enough to shift the equilibrium. The work is structured, and moves at whatever pace feels realistic for your family.
For a fuller walkthrough, see our guide on how to help an adult child who’s stuck.
What to Expect from Parent Coaching Sessions
When you begin parent coaching, you can expect a personalized, practical, and supportive process — tailored to your family and wherever your child is. Here’s what that looks like:
- Initial Consultation: We start with an introductory session to understand your family’s situation, challenges, and goals — and the changes you most want to see.
- Tailored Coaching Plan: Based on what you’re facing, we build a customized plan around the specific shifts that matter most — whether that’s helping a younger child face anxiety and reduce compulsions, or supporting a stalled young adult toward independence.
- Ongoing Support and Guidance: Each session builds on the last, giving you new tools to put into practice at home. You’ll learn how to shift your approach to encourage independence and resilience while reducing unhelpful accommodations.
- Practical Tools and Strategies: We teach you evidence-based techniques you can apply right away — to respond to difficult moments, reduce accommodation, and foster a steadier home environment.
- Check-ins and Progress Updates: As we work together, we regularly assess progress and adjust the plan, so the coaching stays relevant as your family’s needs evolve.
Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence to make meaningful changes in your family’s life — and lasting improvement in your child’s well-being.
Meet Our Parent Coach
Getting Started with Parent Coaching
Contact Gofman Therapy and Consulting today to get started — by filling out our contact form or calling our office directly. We’ll set up an initial consultation to talk through your family’s situation and goals and identify the best path forward. You’re welcome to ask about availability, scheduling, and anything else along the way. Sessions are available virtually and in-person at our Westport, CT office, with flexible times to fit your schedule.
