Family relationships are oftentimes the first relationships we cultivate. These relationships shape the way we build friendships and new relationships down the road. But no one is perfect, which makes things like miscommunication and conflict inevitable.
At Octagon Mentoring, our parent and family coaching empowers family members to break old habits and create healthier interpersonal dynamics. We’ll equip you with the resources to build healthy communication skills and support your kids, whether they’re children or young adults.
Parent and Family Coaching vs. Traditional Therapy
Parent and family coaching and traditional therapy are both beneficial resources, but they have some key differences.
Parent and family coaching focuses on developing practical skills aimed at improving familial relationships. Parent coaching is a great resource for parents or guardians looking to learn how to parent a child with special needs or navigate a tumultuous parent-child relationship. Typically, these sessions are one-on-one between the parent and the coach. For instances where the entire family dynamic is affected, family coaching involves multiple family members in a session together. Overall, coaches typically work with clients to identify behavioral patterns, improve communication, and build tangible skills to cultivate healthy family relationships.
Traditional therapy focuses on emotional and psychological healing, and an individual’s goals and reasons for going to therapy vary widely. In therapy, individuals deeply explore their emotions, traumas, and life experiences to identify underlying reasons for distress.
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While immensely valuable, traditional therapy tends to be more broad, and not every therapist has expertise in parent and family dynamics. With parent and family coaching, you’ll learn from an experienced mentor who understands the intricacies and layers of family relationships.
Improving Communication within Families
Communication is a vital part of any relationship, so it’s an important place to start when trying to improve family relationships. In this section, we’ll cover how family coaching can help, effective communication strategies, and tangible actions you can take to create a supportive family dynamic.
How Family Coaching Improves Communication
It can be hard to see the full picture when you’re too close to a situation. With an experienced family coach as a third-party perspective, you’ll learn how to build awareness and understanding of different behaviors, identify how to change your communication styles and strengthen family relationships positively. Things like this take time, but it’s important to have the right tools to see real progress, and a family coach at Octagon Mentoring is equipped to do just that.
Effective Communication Strategies
Here are a few examples of communication strategies you might learn and practice with parent and family coaching.
- Active listening is a skill that focuses on understanding what someone is saying to you by paying attention to their words, body language, tone, and emotions. Instead of thinking of advice or solutions as that person is communicating with you, lean into understanding where they’re coming from first. By listening intentionally first, you’re sending a powerful message that you truly care and want to understand, and this opens up opportunities for more productive conversations and healthier relationships.
- Asking questions instead of making assumptions is a seemingly obvious but often overlooked communication strategy. Asking questions stems from curiosity, while making assumptions stems from judgment, which can naturally lead someone to respond defensively. When asking questions to understand a situation better, focus on open questions instead of ‘yes or no’ questions to allow people to elaborate.
- Speaking openly about your emotions is often a good way to signal to others that it’s okay and safe to do the same. Be honest about both the positive and the negative emotions, and use active listening while others are sharing. Over time, this will help build depth and trust in family relationships.
Fostering understanding and supportive actions within family relationships begins with strong communication. Everyone receives support and care in different ways, so it’s important to take the time to learn about each person’s needs first.
Building Stronger Connections and Supporting Parents
The relationship between a parent and their child is both beautiful and foundational. Children look up to their parents as they begin to understand how to communicate and how the world works. Even though conflict and tension are inevitable, getting through the difficult moments together is often the very thing that adds a new level of depth to the relationship. As long as you are willing to grow in your understanding and communication with one another, parent and family coaching will help you find opportunities for positive growth.
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Here are some tangible actions you can take to create a nurturing home environment and a positive relationship with your child.
- Spending quality time together is a simple but impactful way to show your kids that you care and that you’re interested in things they enjoy. This helps children feel supported and safe, and it will also help parents get to know their children better. As a result, you’ll be better equipped to identify if your child is struggling and offer necessary support.
- Showing affection through words and actions is another important way to build a healthy parent-child relationship. Although it may be easy to assume, speaking it aloud and reflecting it with your actions goes a long way to reinforce your children’s sense of security and self-worth. Additionally, your children will be able to learn how to express affection in other relationships as they grow up.
- Setting consistent rules and expectations provides children with structure and discipline. It’s key to set consistent rules and consequences to avoid confusion and frustration. When you slip up as a parent, own up to it and apologize to maintain trust and fairness in the relationship while also acting as a role model for how to approach mistakes.
At Octagon Mentoring, we understand that every parent-child relationship is unique. That’s why our parent and family coaching services are customizable to your specific needs. Our coaches have decades of experience in the mental health industry. Whether your goal is to strengthen your relationship with your child, navigate specific communication issues, or learn how to better care for a child with special needs, our coaches are ready and available to help.
Supporting the Growth of Young Adults and Teens
As your children become teenagers and reach young adulthood, your relationship with them will change. Around this age, young adults are beginning to develop their individuality, opinions, and values, making it a pivotal but challenging time for many parents as they support them through it.
Family coaching is not only a resource, but it is also a safe space for parents and teenagers to navigate challenges, process their emotions, and develop strong communication skills moving forward. At Octagon Mentoring, our programs revolve around the Octagon Process — a concept that invites individuals to reflect on themselves from eight different angles. These include mind, body, purpose, relationships, finance, career, culture, and process. Young adults explore these aspects of their lives through individual mentoring sessions, college coaching, and group discussions with other Octagon students to build crucial life skills.
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Our parent and family coaching services encompass both one-on-one and group family sessions. Sometimes, young adults find it more approachable to open up to a mentor one-on-one, and sometimes, the situation may call for a group session where everyone can work towards seeing eye to eye. Whatever the situation, our coaches and mentors will work closely with you to identify your needs and goals and determine the best next steps for you and your family.
Improve Understanding and Communication with Parent Coaching
Whether it relates to parents and children or other family relationships, there are many layers and components to consider that may feel overwhelming at times. That’s why the Octagon Process focuses on self-reflection and discovery from multiple angles, empowering you and your family to reach a deeper understanding of each person’s communication styles and behaviors.
We understand that relationships are not one-size-fits-all, and our customizable and compassionate approach reflects that. At the end of the day, our mission is to cultivate growth, resilience, and connection. Get in touch with our team here to start your parent and family coaching sessions. We’d love to hear from you!
