Raising a child who is struggling is exhausting, and parents rarely get support of their own. We offer counseling and coaching for parents in Charlotte and Pineville, in person or by telehealth across North Carolina and South Carolina. Daytime appointments, while your kids are at school, are usually the easiest to schedule.
Parents we work with:
Parent counseling is therapy for you. It’s a place to process the stress, guilt, grief, worry, or marital strain that comes with parenting a child who has ADHD, autism, anxiety, a learning difference, a medical condition, or a hard behavior pattern. You don’t have to hold it all together in the room.
Parent coaching is skills-focused. Working from evidence-based models such as Parent Management Training, Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy principles, and collaborative problem-solving, we help you build a practical plan for the specific behaviors you’re dealing with at home, and then adjust it as you try it.
Most parents do some of both. Your counselor will help you figure out the right mix.
Every parent begins with a parent-only intake session of about an hour. We’ll talk about what’s happening, whether your child is already a client with us, and what you want to be different in three months, and we’ll map out a plan together.
Parent sessions are 60 minutes and are often easiest to fit in during the school day. Mid-morning and early-afternoon appointments are readily available, and telehealth means you can meet from your office, your car in the pickup line, or your kitchen table.
If your child sees a counselor, physical therapist, BCBA, occupational therapist, speech therapist, or psychologist at Child & Family Development, your parent counselor can coordinate with them (with your permission) so the strategies you learn match what your child is working on.
Coaching sessions end with something specific to try. You’ll come back, tell us what happened, and we’ll refine it together.
When your child is the one in counseling, the rhythm is similar. After the parent-only intake, your child typically has five to six weekly sessions. Then you’ll meet with the counselor again for a parent-only follow-up of about an hour, where they share what they’re seeing, coach you on what to do at home, and adjust the plan with you. Parent follow-ups continue at regular intervals from there, so you’re never guessing about how things are going. See the full counseling process, step by step.
Many parents we see have a child in our counseling, ABA, OT, PT, Speech Therapy, or for evaluation services. Adding parent sessions is one of the most effective ways to speed up your child’s progress, because the adults who spend the most time with a child have the most influence on change. Ask your child’s clinician about adding parent coaching, or schedule directly.
No. Parent counseling and coaching are available to any parent in North Carolina or South Carolina, whether or not your child receives services with us. That said, if your child is already a client, we can coordinate care.
Counseling focuses on you: your stress, emotions, relationships, and wellbeing as a parent. Coaching focuses on your child’s behavior and gives you specific, evidence-based strategies to use at home. Many parents blend the two.
Yes. Joint sessions are often the most effective, especially when parents disagree about discipline or are co-parenting across households. We can also see parents separately.
Yes. Parent sessions work very well by telehealth. All of our counselors are licensed for telehealth in North Carolina, and nine are also licensed for South Carolina.
Yes, and for parents they’re often ideal. Mid-morning and early-afternoon slots, while your children are at school or daycare, are generally the easiest to book.
Parent counseling is billed as behavioral health counseling and is covered in-network by Aetna, the NC State Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, Cigna (Evernorth), and MedCost. Our Client Services team can explain exactly how your sessions will be billed before you begin.
A parent consultation is a good first step. We’ll help you understand the diagnosis, sort through recommendations, and decide which services, if any, to start with. You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Every member of our counseling team works with parents. All hold master’s or doctoral degrees, are licensed in North Carolina, and offer telehealth; nine are also licensed for South Carolina.
PhD
Midtown
PhD
Midtown
LPA
Midtown
PsyD
Midtown
RPT, LCMHC-QS
Midtown
LCMHCA
Midtown
LCMHCA
Midtown
PhD
Pineville
PhD
Pineville
LPA
Pineville
PsyD
Pineville
LCMHC
Pineville
LCMHCA
Pineville
LCMHCA
Pineville
We accept Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, Cigna (through Evernorth Behavioral Health), and MedCost for parent counseling in Charlotte, and we can file with most out-of-network plans. See all insurance details. [C&FD REVIEW: confirm billing for parent-only sessions.]
Your first step: Schedule a free consultation to talk with an expert. Parenting is hard, and asking for help is a strength. A short call with our intake team will match you with a counselor and find a time that works around your family's schedule.
