Learn to be a Parent Coach

"Thank you so very much to both Janet and Michaela for your co-facilitation in the larger group format as well as a huge thank you to Michaela for your facilitation and mentoring in our SCD group sessions. The training is going to be so valuable to our work with children/families and childcare providers, and for the continued self-reflection of putting forth our best practice as we integrate new knowledge and skills. I am excited - although still processing next steps and how to best navigate the Coaching model into my current support/service within our Team/Agency. So much respect and gratitude to you both and thank you again!”

Alanna Pamminger, Supported Child Development Consultant

"The L1 and L2 parent coaching workshop was great, thank you very much! It was very helpful getting to see examples in the videos. It was great to hear how you troubleshooted issues that came up. I appreciated that you highlighted the difficulties in this approach, and how you have had to monitor and change your own behaviour. As I take on more parent coaching clients, I will aim to apply the strategies and theory learned in this course. Having reviewed the adult learning principles and coaching characteristics was very helpful to ensure a solid foundation is established with parents and to ensure I'm coaching them in the most effective way for them. I hope to empower them and really establish a true partnership."

Orly Silberstein, M.Ed., BCBA

"Wow! Overall, I found this L1 and L2 parent coaching workshop to be everything I hoped for and more. I really feel like I got my money's worth and so many valuable connections and resources. The balance of video, theory, application and personal reflection made the workshop very engaging and dynamic. I really enjoyed the way the workshop ran, and the resources offered; it has given me a framework to work from in my current role of supporting BIs as well as for when I do work 1:1 with families. Thank you Michaela and Janet!”

Bethany Boyle, BCBA

“Working with Janet and Michaela gave me skills, direction, and hope! I began working with Janet and Michaela during a time when I needed expertise, guidance and support for both my young child and myself. I absolutely wanted to do what was best for our daughter, but I didn’t know how. Working with Janet and Michaela gave me goals, and the direction I needed. The skills that they taught me are now woven into every day activities and exchanges with our daughter. Janet and Michaela set us up for success and now two years later, we are thriving! Michaela and Janet: thank you so much for helping me become the mother I wanted and needed to be. ​I am forever grateful.”

Nicole Hardy, Parent

"I got a lot out of the level 1, 2 and 3 parent coach training. I am excited to change and tailor the way I am practicing to include parent coaching, as I truly believe it is one of the most effective ways to work with families and help support them to achieve their goals. This course made it much clearer to me how to adapt parent coaching to many different aspects of what I do as an Infant Development Consultant. I am grateful I am still at the beginning of my practice and have been given some amazing tools to use. Thanks Michaela & Janet!”

Emily Moss, Infant Development Consultant

“Finding Michaela to guide us through the ESDM was the best thing that could have happened to us. Not only was she kind and amazing to work with when we came in person, but she also continued to work with us online, since we were from another Province. She was the only one who saw my concerns as real concerns to address sooner rather than later. She provided us with the tools to completely change my oldest son’s path. I truly believe without her help, we would be in a different place with our son. ​I cannot express how truly grateful we are to have worked with Michaela!”

Amber and Carter Wagner, Parents

“Any parent who works with Michaela or Janet is truly lucky and will have life changing results. The parent coaching component is by far the most important piece of the puzzle.”

Carla Willock, ​Registered Speech-Language Pathologist

"It was good to be able to discuss challenges and questions throughout the sessions. I also thought that by asking us to decide what we would focus on each week, it was helpful in really diving into the practical/practice. It really has given me the skills to work more effectively with parents!”

Robyn Mor-Bagshaw, Infant Development Consultant

"Thank you! I love that the level 1, 2, and 3 parent coach training outlines a model of practice that fits within our philosophy of family-centred practice and offers enhanced skills in the area of collaboration, joint planning, and self-reflection. I feel that within my role as SCD Consultant, I can use these skills and practices with both families, and child care providers to continue to extend our partnerships and to build consensus about how to best collaborate to support growth for both adult learning and the development of child.”

Alanna Pamminger, Supported Child Development Consultant

"The strengths of the workshop were discussion, shared experiences around real families, and video clips of actual sessions. The information/knowledge will definitely improve my ability to think in a much broader sense and view the family though a different lens.”

Nicky Hendry, Infant Development Consultant

"The strengths of the workshop were the cases shown throughout the workshop. It will be very important to improve the outcomes of the sessions I have with the kids, once I also target the family.”

Maria Laura Machado, Speech-Language Pathologist

"Michaela and Janet work very well together.  I enjoyed hearing how they have progressed through their learning. The many examples were very helpful.  I also enjoyed getting resources that will help me further my learning.”

Heather Joe, Intake Coordinator

"Thank-you for the level 1 and 2 parent coach training workshop. I loved the content. Thank-you so much! The strengths of the workshop were learning the various tools and resources available to me.”

Mette Lockwood, Speech-Language Pathologist

"The way approached was perfect and easy to understand. It will help a lot in practice. It helped to reflect on listening more and adapting content for each family. The strengths of the workshop were materials, content and availability. For me it was excellent, I don't see anything to improve. The workshop will help in my job as it will help directly in the relationship with the parents, not only for the parents who are in training, but also in the general orientations of each day for the parents of the children that I see on a daily basis.”

Ivanna Vozivoda Salvan Garcia, Speech Therapist

"Overall I have learned so much about parent coaching with Michaela and Janet during the level 1 & 2 parent coach training workshop. I hope to be able to use what I have learned in practice with my clients in the future! The strengths of the workshop were the instructor's passion and enthusiasm as well as knowledge of the content of parent coaching. I really enjoyed the discussions we had throughout the sessions and really liked the website resources provided. The workshop will help in my job as I will start my own parent coaching sessions with parents and adopt this as my main service delivery.”

Stephanie Leung, BCBA

"The level 1 parent coach training was thought-provoking and well done. Michaela and Janet’s energy and enthusiasm is contagious. I am looking forward to Level 2.  There was a great balance of videos and presentation. The strengths of this workshop were the balance of videos and presentation and many opportunities and space for questions and comments. Thank you so much.”

Georgina Exley, Infant Development Consultant

"I loved the level 1, 2, and 3 parent coach training program. I really appreciated Michaela's ability to adapt the principles of parent coaching to the many hats of SCD consultants. The structure of the workshop was, for me, optimal. The combination of information and opportunity to reflect and share worked well. I appreciated the opportunity to participate in this workshop in this small group setting with my colleagues. The length of the sessions and the information provided felt 'just right'. Many of the principles are directly applicable, and we have already begun to re-think our approach using the framework we explored.”

Annette MacGregor, Supported Child Development Consultant

What is Parent Coaching?

Parent coaching is a way of providing support to parents and caregivers wanting to learn how to effectively support their child. Parent coaching strives to enhance caregiver skills during daily routines with their child. A well-educated coach walks alongside caregivers and contextualizes information specific to each unique child, caregiver, and circumstance.

A parent coach explores with their learner how to choose strategies and information specific to each unique context. Rather than telling a parent exactly what to do, how often, and when to do it; a parent coach listens, observes, and provides information and support individualized to child, caregiver, and/or family context.

Both Janet and Michaela have rich experience coaching parents and caregivers in evidence-informed early intervention strategies as well as providing parent coach training to professionals and service providers wanting to expand their early intervention practices. For those who have a depth of expertise in their field of work, parent coaching is an excellent way to support caregivers in a family-centered manner.

Parent Coach Training

JHMJ Coaching & Consulting is excited to offer parent coach training workshops, in person or online. We offer a certification process for those who work through Levels 1, 2, and 3. Workshops and training is rooted in: evidence-informed coaching practices; Janet and Michaela’s experience in training others to learn coaching practices; and from their own learnings coaching parents in evidence-informed supports and strategies. All levels of parent coach training involve video examples and opportunities for learners to strengthen their knowledge of parent coaching. While certificates of completion are provided for levels 1 and 2, completion of the Level 3 process is required for JHMJ Parent Coach certification. Please contact us for more information!

Information Sessions

Information sessions are available to provide details about what exactly parent coaching is and show video examples of what it can look like. These sessions are tailored to each audience and are typically 90min-3hrs in length.  Available in person or online.

Level 1 & 2 Parent Coach Training

This training is appropriate for all professionals working one-on-one with parents of small children demonstrating developmental delays. Participants from cross-disciplinary professions are welcome. This training is intended to augment clinical practice by supporting learners to share information with parents and caregivers in a family-centered manner.  Coaches are encouraged to think through and refine the expertise that they bring to the table and think about how they can share their expertise in a truly collaborative way.

Our Level 1 & 2 Workshops are usually offered consecutively online so that there is no interruption in the flow of learning. Offerings are for seven consecutive 2hr sessions (most commonly once per week). 

What does JHMJ Parent Coaching Level 1 & 2 Training involve?

  • 14 hours of direct in-person instruction
  • Video examples of parent coaching components
  • Access to full length videos of parent coaching sessions
  • Review of the theories that guide the parent coaching process
  • Specifics around key session activities
  • Access to parent coaching research studies and peer reviewed publications
  • Measurement and fidelity guidance for your own coaching practice
  • Opportunities for self-reflection as you learn new concepts
  • Support around your own content development
  • Connection with like-minded peers
  • You will receive a certificate of completion indicating the hours of the training.
  • Certificates with BCBA/BCaBC/BCBA-D CEUs are available to those who request them upon completion of the workshop

Level 3: Coaching the Coach

Required for JHMJ Parent Coach Certification

One-on-one support is available for coaches who have completed level 1 & 2 training and want to better understand their own coaching practice. Support may include but is not limited to: supported self-reflection, video review and discussion, content support, and/or fidelity scoring. Tailored level 3 group training is available depending on need. Level 3 completion is required for JHMJ Parent Coach Certification.

Group Training Packages

Training for small or large groups is available. We are happy to work with groups of various sizes to meet individualized parent coach training needs. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any unique inquiries or requests.

“Learning to be a parent coach is hard! Michaela is supportive, encouraging, and a great resource. The skills I learned are essential for empowering parents – especially in the virtual appointment world.”

Dee, Infant Development Consultant