My mission as a parent coach is to help parents connect deeply with their children, gain clarity on their values, and confidently create the lives they want for their families.

Positive connections create strong relationships.

Parent coaching will help you feel clear and confident as a parent.

Tired of sibling squabbles,
one-word answers, well-worn arguments, or silence?
Want to connect more deeply with your kids?

These Conversation Jumpstarts will help you:

Shift the energy in your current dynamic.
Reconnect with the parts of your kids that you love.
Develop creative ways to know more about your child’s inner world.

Parent Coaching: Conversation Jumpstarts

Download these fun cards. Print them out or save them on your phone. Watch the magic happen as conversations unfold.

These are especially useful right now for connecting with family members online and through phone calls.

(Suitable for ages 2-102.)

“After using your Conversation Jumpstarts at dinner, our kids are feeling that family closeness and sense of connection and they want to do this more. Now they are asking for more family time together, too!”

Skyler and Aditya Joshi, parents of 3 children ages 5-12 in Boston, MA

“I keep thinking about that conversation we had with grandma and grandpa that night in the car. I had never heard those stories before. I want to hear more. They help me understand new things about our family.”

A. J., age 17 in Newton, MA

“Instead of counting the seconds until “Family Dinner” time ends, our boys are now staying willingly at the dinner table, and we are having interesting conversations. We are all learning to ask better questions, and the conversations that are sparked are interesting for all involved. Before we felt like we were pulling teeth to get them to talk about their days (a courtesy that was never willingly returned); now we have gotten into a routine where we sit down and actually connect as a family. Thank you for helping us find ways to make family dinner time with teens/tweens enjoyable again!”

Kate and Mark B, Acton, MA

You’ll also get my “Strategies for Soulful Parents” newsletter with tips and resources delivered straight to your Inbox.

Don’t want it? No problem. You can unsubscribe in one easy click. I will never, ever share your email.

Amy provides insight, support, and compassion to parents struggling to connect, listen, laugh, and understand their children. Through patience and humor, Amy finds a way to navigate the intensity of parenting and partnership. Amy shows you patterns in your behavior, insight into your child, and how to connect with your spouse. If you want to feel more calm, more connected to your kids and spouse, and more centered within yourself, Amy is the coach for you. Her accessibility, gentle guidance, and support are wrapped in levity, understanding, and care. Definitely worth every penny to help yourself and your family.

Jen Carter, M.D., Stratham, NH. Mom of three children ages 8, 10 and 12

Dear Amy,

Working with you was more enriching and satisfying than I could have imagined. From the moment I reached out to you about working together, I felt embraced and cared for. During the four months of us working together, I felt like you connected with our situation, and when sharing resources or strategies, you made relevant and meaningful connections between my experience and my daughter’s and how they could be helpful.

I really appreciated the playbook questions to be answered before and after the calls, as they kept me focused and helped me recenter before our calls. They are now a journal of sorts, and an invaluable document as I continue to work on growing through these challenges that have decreased dramatically.
It was an extraordinary process to not just learn about my daughter’s style and temperament, or her values and strengths, but to also see how this was an opportunity for me to grow. I tell everyone I can about the impact of this experience on my person, my relationship with my daughter, and on our family. I foresee that I will return again and again as new challenges arise, and I’m so looking forward to it.

My sincerest gratitude for everything!

Marta B, Northampton, MA

We sought out parent coaching because we felt like we lost our patience too easily as parents and then often felt judgmental of ourselves. We both knew that there was a way to apply our mindfulness practices to parenting, but needed guidance. Amy helped us learn to collaborate with our child more often to get his input on difficult situations, like morning routines, which helps him invest in the solutions. We also have more productive conversations with him when we process difficulties because we have a framework. We feel closer as a family.

Amy is non-judgmental and easy-going, which makes being vulnerable enough to make real changes easier. Her humor, practical approach and excellent questions made all the difference. Coaching with Amy has been one of the best investments we’ve made.

Amy and Pete, Mansfield, MA

Parent coaching with Amy has transformed our family. When we started, we were exhausted and exasperated with parenting and our kids. We felt as though we’d gone through our “toolbox” and were out of ideas on how to have cooperative, yet happy kids and family. By the end of the day we often felt bad/sad about our own actions that day.

Parent coaching has enabled us to take a step back to learn about each of our kids and their emotional, physical and developmental needs. And because we recognize that each is unique, and often changing, our parenting needs to be flexible and less rigid than we’d set up. We can have more fun, enjoyment and laughter AND feel successful at the end of the day. Remembering to find the joy and playfulness makes for happy kids and parents!

We’ve worked through countless real, concrete solutions to our family’s everyday challenges. We’re building a toolbox. We’re learning how to use it in real time and having more fun, too.

Melissa and Ernie, parents of 5 year old twin boys and a 2 year old girl in Newton, MA

I have been talking about this experience of parent coaching with every parent I talk to. I’ve shared the value of the resources and time reflecting and processing. At the beginning I felt overwhelmed, hopeless, and like a complete failure. Now I feel confident and recharged. I am able to be the parent I wanted to be. Our weekly conversations have been most helpful. You are so positive, supportive, and nonjudgmental, which is what we all need when talking about our insecurities with parenting.

Mo Reed-McNally, mom of 5 and 7 year old boys in Amherst, MA

Your parenting, relationship, and individual coaching has been invaluable to me through this year which has been challenging in so many ways. I’m grateful I’ve had you as a touch point and lifeline. Your parenting insights and ideas made me step back and examine the type of relationship and family I want to create –and recognize that our family and relationship doesn’t have to be the one that just happens, but that I can be more in control and a creator of both. You have been a true treasure and ray of light for me during a difficult year.

Sara, mom of 7 year old girl and twin 5 year old boys in Marin County, CA

The most important impact of parent coaching for us is that now we’re on the same page as parents in terms of how we handle our daughter’s behavior. Before that, our strategies were reactive or inconsistent. Through our weekly coaching sessions, we gained clarity on what was happening and learned how to handle meltdowns effectively. We learned to pay attention to WHY our daughter was behaving negatively, which enabled us to get much better at meeting her needs. Now it’s hard to remember the last time there was a hitting or yelling episode! We are both on the same page and can tap in for each other when one of us needs a break. Parent coaching with Amy was a really worthwhile investment that has strengthened our relationship with our older daughter and each other. We are truly grateful to Amy for her guidance through a big transition for our family.

Andy and Elizabeth, parents of girls ages 4 and 7 months, Roslindale, MA

Amy helped us navigate through a really turbulent time and brought back a sense of delight of being with our son. He is now less whiny, better at coping with emotions, and more self-directed and we are calmer and more confident in our approach to parenting, which makes all of us feel happier to be together. What makes Amy truly stand out is her hands-on, judgement-free approach—over six sessions, she equipped us with the tools and language to approach parenting challenges and help our son build resilience and navigate his emotions. We learned to emphasize the positive and to show our son the process of our thinking through things. We now encourage him to participate in problem solving and he comes up with great ideas. Seeing things from our son’s perspective gave us new insight into his needs. We are all enjoying less conflict and more fun around the house!

Jennifer Chen and Simon Montlake, Cambridge, MA

Through the whole coaching process, Amy was the very definition of committed. She was completely focused and engaged, took copious notes, asked highly relevant questions, engaged in dialogue for the sake of discovery and clarification, and took the time to compose thoughtful emails. I felt supported, heard, and understood every step of the way.

Father in Brookline, MA

We would definitely recommend parent coaching with Amy. She helped us build our parenting muscles, work better as a team and build our confidence to parent well and in line with our values. We are having more fun with our kids now and feel like we have some more structure and control over what happens at home.

Parents of two young children in West Roxbury, MA

Amy reminds me to pay attention to and move toward what lights me up and what makes me feel most alive. This helps me to focus on what is most important in my life.

Mother dealing with separation and job transition in Newton, MA

It has been two years since I did parenting coaching sessions with Amy and I still use ideas and techniques I learned during that time. I am so happy that there is now a wonderful friendship and love between me and my son which I had not thought would be possible when I started the coaching. He now reads more books and makes better choices. I am so grateful to Amy for those conversations, and her support and wisdom that changed my approach to parenting and brought light into our family life.

Olga, Newton parent of 7 & 3 years old

Working one on one with Amy has been invaluable to our family. With her help, I have become more firm, clear, and confident in my parenting. Before I worked with Amy, my stress level about parenting was on the high end. As a result of working with Amy, my stress level has decreased to a more manageable level. My family routines have greatly improved and I’ve learned to make a more concerted effort in nurturing all of the relationships in our family. I highly recommend Amy Behrens as a parent coach.

Maura, mother of boys ages 6 and 2 in Roslindale, MA

With Amy Behrens as my parent coach, I have become more aware of my parenting, more positive in my interactions with my children and much happier about myself — something counseling and dozens of parenting books weren’t able to help with.
Amy listened to the issues I’ve had about parenting and helped me envision the relationship I wanted with my children in the future. She provided me with a fresh lens and tools to help me deal with my current situation. What stood out for me in this process was how, through her careful listening, empathy and coaching skills, Amy was able to customize a program for me that fit my home and family. I would highly recommend Amy Behrens as a talented parent coach and indeed already have to several of my friends!

Julie Crosson, MD, mother of 2 in Newton, MA

Parent Coach and Educator

My mission as a parent coach is to help parents connect deeply with their children, gain clarity on their values, and confidently create the lives they want for their families.

Positive connections create strong relationships.

Parent coaching will help you feel clear and confident as a parent.