Parent Coaching 

Parents play an essential role in a child's emotional development. While play therapy helps children build emotional awareness, regulation, confidence, and coping skills, parent coaching helps caregivers strengthen the relationship that supports those changes at home.

Parent coaching can be incorporated into a child's play therapy treatment plan or provided as a standalone service where the parent is the primary client. Together, we explore your child's behavior through a developmental and relationship-based lens, helping you understand not just what your child is doing, but why they may be doing it.

Parents learn practical strategies to:

• Strengthen the parent-child relationship

• Reduce power struggles

• Identify the child's triggers 

• Identify their triggers

• Respond to challenging behaviors calmly and effectively

• Support emotional and sensory regulation

• Set healthy limits and boundaries

• Increase cooperation while preserving connection

• Better understand the needs of children with Autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other emotional or behavioral concerns

CPRT teaches parents specialized play-based skills that can deepen connection and improve communication through structured playtimes at home. These skills help children feel seen, understood, and accepted while also creating opportunities to build confidence, emotional awareness, and self-regulation.

Through coaching, parents learn how to maintain firm boundaries while responding with empathy, helping children develop responsibility, emotional regulation, and problem-solving skills.

Whether your child is participating in play therapy or you are seeking support as a parent, coaching can provide practical tools, guidance, and encouragement while strengthening one of the most important factors in a child's well-being—the parent-child relationship.

Mary Virginia Kline, M.Ed., Ed.S., LMHC, RPT
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Registered Play Therapist

MV Kline Counseling
Tampa, Florida
(850) 296-8653
MV Kline Counseling

Learn more about Child Parent Relationship Therapy.  

Learn more about Anxiety/Worry and Play Therapy.

Learn more about Play Therapy for Autism. 

Learn more about the Benefits of Play Therapy.   

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This article is not professional advice.