Trauma often strains relationships and threatens a family’s well-being, whether they’re foster, kinship, adoptive, or biological. When not treated, the effects may lead to broken or unhealthy relationships. Our partner, Chosen Care, exists to help children and their families connect through parent coaching. By using psychology-based strategies and trauma-informed care, they help build strong, stable relationships. Their personalized parent coaching for families looks at the “why” behind the behavior rather than stopping at face value. Then, each family’s assigned Care Manager creates a custom case plan tailored to their unique needs. Parent coaching for families addresses a child’s trauma and equips parents to adjust their behavior to promote healing. For the Davis family, parent coaching preserved their family when all hope seemed lost.
How Parent Coaching Saved a Family
Mark and Sarah Davis never imagined raising children in their golden years. But when their 12-year-old granddaughter, Emily, needed a safe place to live, they stepped into the role. Emily came to them carrying scars from her past—wounds she expressed by yelling, hitting, screaming, and cursing. Emily’s bond with her grandfather was fragile, so Mark withdrew, unsure how to improve their relationship. They both struggled to connect. The strain also pushed Mark and Sarah’s marriage to its brink, leaving them questioning if they could endure.
Emily’s escalating outbursts led to two hospitalizations for mental health crises. Her trauma continued to consume her and put her well-being at risk.
In their darkest moment, the Davis family turned to Chosen for help.
The Importance of Trauma-Informed Care
When Sarah and Mark met their Care Manager, Nikki, she began to walk them through parent coaching with compassion. With trauma-informed guidance, the couple saw through Emily’s actions to the pain beneath. Emily was not defiant but desperate for connection and understanding. Armed with practical tools and newfound empathy, the Davises started making small, intentional changes that brought glimmers of hope. They created a “Calming Corner,” a refuge for Emily in her stormiest moments. They also introduced a whiteboard to bring order to her days, offering structure and stability she had always lacked. These simple adjustments began to soothe Emily’s chaotic world.
Mark, once distant, leaned in with resolve. He poured himself into the sessions, brainstorming ideas and showering Emily with the encouragement she craved. Each small act of love and consistency became a building block, slowly mending their fractured bond. For the first time, Emily began to see herself through the eyes of someone who truly believed in her.
The transformation has been remarkable. Sunday dinners, once tense, have become cherished moments Emily eagerly anticipates. The laughter and warmth filling the Davis home now speak to a family rediscovering hope one fragile, beautiful step at a time. Nikki, who committed to their family from day one, is filled with joy at their progress.
“It has been an honor to watch this family eagerly implement new practices and ways of engaging with each other,” Nikki says. “Their level of commitment to each other has been an inspiration to witness.”
Parent Coaching for Families Helps End the Child Welfare Crisis
One of the most effective ways to end the child welfare crisis is by preserving families. Family preservation keeps children from being removed from their homes, sparing them from the trauma of instability and separation. When coupled with prevention and reunification, we lessen the number of children in foster care, which frees up resources for those unable to return to their birth families. These resources include social workers, mental health programs, educational assistance, foster and adoptive families, and much more. For this reason, prevention, preservation, and reunification form the first tier of our plan to end the child welfare crisis, the Well-Being Support Ecosystem.
Parent coaching is just one way we and our partners help accomplish this goal. Our Well-Being Support Ecosystem of other nonprofits, state governments, individuals, and entire communities works together to serve vulnerable kids and families. Learn more about our strategy to end the child welfare crisis in an interview with For Others’ Jared Brown, Executive VP of Strategic Partnerships.
