To all the weary parents reading this:
Are you raising a child with frequent meltdowns and intense emotional reactions? If you are, I’d like to offer you some support. You’d be surprised to learn how many other families are struggling with the same issues, and yet there’s not much out there that speaks to your situation directly.
If you have an emotionally explosive child, you’re not just trying to manage their reactions, you’re probably also struggling to manage your own feelings, too. Maybe you get really upset during your child’s outbursts, even when you try to stay calm. And you might be having some big feelings yourself about how hard and stressful parenting your child has become.
I’m here to tell you that your feelings matter, too.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Your child has frequent outbursts and tantrums.
Once your child gets upset, they can’t calm down, no matter what you try.
You’ve noticed you’re feeling anxious or on edge, like you’re bracing for the next explosion.
You feel isolated and alone with this burden.
This issue is affecting your relationship with other members of the family, or with your spouse.
You’re worried about judgment from friends, family, or the community.
You're losing your confidence in your parenting skills.
You worry that there’s something seriously wrong with your child.
You’re trying to stay in control of your own feelings, but it feels impossible.
You may have already turned to parenting books, doctors, therapists, nutritionists, school counselors, or other sources to find a solution for your child’s emotional dysregulation, but the advice they give doesn’t fit your kid, and nothing changes. Or, maybe things improve for a week, but then the tantrums and outbursts return. You feel discouraged, and, over time, hopeless.
What if I told you that therapy is not necessarily the answer?
What if I told you that simply "learning coping skills" doesn’t work with this kind of kid?
What does work is to look at your child’s brain in a different way, to learn about why it does what it does, and, with this understanding, to team up with your child to learn better strategies to manage it.
In this 5-week coaching course, I will introduce you to a permanent mindset shift that will help you to stay compassionate toward yourself and your child, no matter how ugly the meltdowns.
I’ll teach you how to manage your own feelings, and how to talk to yourself differently about what you’re experiencing. Even on the hairy days, you’ll feel confident in the choices you’re making. You won’t lose energy by constantly questioning yourself, or defending your choices to your partner.
I’ll coach you on how to cultivate a warm, positive relationship with your child, and to genuinely enjoy spending time with them. Your child will know that you love them and approve of them on a deep, fundamental level – and they’ll take this confidence with them for the rest of their life.
Meet Your Coach
Hi, I’m Alison, the owner and director of Creative Coping, a mental health practice in Bedford. I’ve been a licensed clinical social worker since 2008, and a mom since 2011. I draw equally from both of these experiences when I coach parents.
Raising my own “spirited” kids has challenged me in ways I never thought possible. As a professional, I’ve always had access to the best tools and most current knowledge on the topics of child psychology and parenting - but none of those tools and strategies seemed to work in my own home.
I eventually found my way, and, since opening Creative Coping, I’ve worked closely with other families dealing with similar issues. It’s helped me connect the dots between my own experience, my clients’ stories, and the published research and brain science on emotion regulation and kids. I’m excited to share this information with other parents who are struggling.
This unique program will be part teaching, part coaching.
(It is not psychotherapy, or a mental health service.)
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Module One - Emotions and the Dysregulated Brain
What’s going on when they fall apart
Understanding your own brain and reactions
Module Two - Creating an Alliance With Your Child
Helping them understand that you’re on the same team
Module Three - The Basics of Behavior Management
When you need to hold the line, and what to say
Module Four - Your Own Emotions
Managing your own feelings and reactions
(and no, I don’t mean with wine!)
Module Five - Feeling Good About Parenting
Finding your confidence and enjoying your kid
Live Calls
Live calls provide an opportunity to give and receive support in a community of parents like you, and to ask questions.
For convenience, the meetings will be held virtually, on Mondays from 12:00-1:00 pm. The meeting dates are:
November 3, 10, 17, 24, and December 1, 2025.
All the live calls will be recorded for those who can’t attend – you can still get a lot out of this course even if the calls don’t align with your schedule.
Online community
We’ll also have an online community where parents can chat in between sessions, so whether you attend the live sessions or not, you’ll have access to a supportive community of parents who “get it.”
"Alison's five-week parenting course has been invaluable in helping me care for myself while also supporting my child. She offers a wide range of information, including research on neurodiversity, the importance of holistic care, and effective interventions. I found the peer support component especially helpful. Connecting with other parents traveling the same road helped me realize that I was a part of a supportive community. I can't recommend her course enough; you won't regret it."
-- Parent participant
Frequently Asked Questions
What age of child is this geared toward?
This program is targeted to parents of school-aged kids - elementary through high school. It is not really for parents of toddlers and preschoolers. Parents of teens, this information will be relevant to you, although we won’t get into some of the social and behavioral complexities that teens bring.
What if I want to do the program but can’t attend the live calls?
You can still benefit from the program, even if you can’t attend the live calls. The educational content will be available to you in the portal, you'll have recordings of the calls, and you can still follow along with the reflection exercises and online discussion.
Can I do this program with my spouse or co-parent?
Yes! Please do. This will work better if both parents are on board and on the same page. You do not need to pay separately for each parent.
What is your refund policy?
If you unenroll before the first live call, I can give you a full refund. Once the program begins, however, I will not be able to offer refunds.
Will this program eliminate my child’s meltdowns?
Sadly, there is no magic bullet, miracle cure, or magical parenting strategy that will make your child transform into a totally different person overnight. I know there are a lot of “quick fixes” for sale on the internet and on social media that promise these kinds of results. I’ve fallen for many of them myself! But I refuse to promise you something that is impossible to deliver. What I’ll do instead is provide you with 1) thoughtful, informed advice about effective treatments available to reduce meltdowns, and 2) knowledge and strategies that will help you cope better and feel less stressed about it all. (In many cases, this actually does end up improving the child's mood and behavior, because the whole household feels calmer and happier!)