Michelle Crawford

Parent Coaching for Special Challenges

Being a parent. Staying strong. Not losing yourself.

When your own child receives a diagnosis or has additional needs, many things change. You may be accompanied by worries, uncertainty, or grief. At the same time, there is often a strong inner pressure to be there for everyone, especially for your child.

As a mother of a child with a disability, I know how complex this life situation can be and how little space there often is for your own emotions.

In my parent coaching, I offer a safe and supportive space where you are allowed to feel relieved, strengthened, and truly seen.

Topics Many Parents Are Navigating

• the first phase after a diagnosis: fear, feelings of powerlessness, and overwhelm
• the desire to be strong while feeling internally unsteady
• feeling overwhelmed by agencies, appointments, support plans, and external expectations
• uncertainty in interactions with professionals, institutions, or family members
• feelings of guilt, exhaustion, or anger that are often left unspoken
• navigating everyday life between care responsibilities, work, siblings, and partnership
• the question: where do I fit into all of this, and how long can I sustain it?
• reflecting on and making sense of deeply stressful experiences
• for example surgeries, hospital stays, or other challenging situations involving your child
• reassessing your personal environment
• who supports you, and where you may need to create boundaries
• learning to set and communicate boundaries
• with institutions, family members, or professional systems
• recognizing strengths
• both your own and your child’s, and consciously integrating and advocating for them in everyday life

What to Expect in the Coaching Process

In my parent coaching, the focus is not on how you can “function better.”
It is about how you are truly doing. And about what you need to breathe again, to feel again, and to act from your own inner strength.

Together, we look at:

• what kinds of emotional and practical relief may be possible
• how you can relate to your feelings without having to suppress them
• which inner resources are already present and how they can be strengthened
• how to navigate pressure and overwhelm with greater awareness and care
• how to rediscover balance between being a parent and caring for yourself
• how to communicate your boundaries clearly and respectfully
• with institutions, authorities, or within your personal environment
• how to gently reflect on deeply stressful or overwhelming experiences together
• and find ways to integrate them with care and compassion

Who This Coaching Is Designed For

For parents or caregivers who…

• are caring for a child with a chronic condition or a disability
• are seeking support in navigating a new family situation
• are looking for clarity, relief, and emotional stability
• want to gently reflect on and make sense of traumatic or highly stressful experiences related to their child
• want to learn new ways of dealing with pressure, expectations, and exhaustion
• wish to reconnect with themselves as a person, not only as a parent
• are seeking greater confidence and clarity in communication with professionals, institutions, and their personal environment

Play-Based Parent Coaching from Lived Experience

As part of my parent coaching, I offer practical, everyday support that is rooted in lived experience as a mother of a child with Down syndrome. In daily life with my son, I work with playful, relationship-based approaches that support development in a holistic and natural way. This coaching is not about rigid programs or performance-driven exercises, but about integrating supportive moments into real life in a way that feels manageable, meaningful, and sustainable.

Together, we explore playful ideas and gentle direction that can support different areas of development, such as communication and speech, movement and body awareness, coordination, independence in everyday routines, emotional regulation, and connection. The focus is always on meeting the child where they are, recognizing their strengths, and encouraging growth through play, curiosity, and shared experiences rather than pressure or comparison.

At the same time, this coaching is about supporting you as a parent. We look at how you can trust your intuition, feel more confident in what you are doing, and find approaches that truly fit your child and your family. You learn how to notice small developmental signs, how to celebrate the developmental growth, respond with more clarity and calm, and create an environment where your child can grow while you remain connected to yourself and your own needs.

The goal is not to do more, but to do what feels right for your family: supportive, playful, and grounded in relationship, while honoring both your child’s unique path and your role as a parent.

info

• where? : Online or in person
• time : ca. 90 min
• costs: $75 single/ $150 couple