Counseling & Coaching for Parents in Charlotte, NC

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.

Who it's for

Parents we work with:

  • Parents of a child newly diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or a learning disability
  • Parents managing daily meltdowns, defiance, or aggression at home
  • Parents of an anxious child who need to know how to respond without reinforcing the anxiety
  • Parents of a child or teen already in therapy who want to support the work at home
  • Parents feeling burned out, isolated, or resentful, and guilty about feeling that way
  • Parents navigating a child’s school struggles, IEPs, or 504 plans
  • New parents adjusting to life with a toddler or preschooler
  • Parents of college students and young adults adjusting to a changing role
  • Grandparents or relatives raising a child

Counseling for You, Coaching for Your Family

Parent counseling

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

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.

What to Expect

Start with a consultation

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.

Sessions built around your schedule

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.

One family, one team

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.

Practical between-session plans

Coaching sessions end with something specific to try. You’ll come back, tell us what happened, and we’ll refine it together.

Already a Child & Family Development Family?

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.

Questions from Parents

Does my child need to be a client for me to see a counselor?

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.

What's the difference between parent counseling and parent coaching?

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.

Can my spouse or co-parent come too?

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.

Can I do parent sessions by telehealth?

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.

Do you offer daytime appointments?

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.

Is parent counseling covered by insurance?

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.

My child was just diagnosed. Where do I start?

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.

Our parent counseling team

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.

Insurance for Parent Counseling

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.]

  • Aetna
  • Aetna State Health Plan (NC State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees)
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
  • Cigna (Evernorth Behavioral Health)
  • MedCost
  • Will file with most out-of-network plans

Free Consultation

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.

Schedule Now

New client consultation times are now available with our clinical leaders:

Schedule A FREE Phone Consultation Today

Jessica or Erin for Physical Therapy, Mallory for Occupational Therapy, Emily for Speech Therapy, and Brandyn or Missy for Psychology and Counseling. They'll help you identify the services that best fit your child's needs and guide you to the next steps.

Schedule Now