The Other CCCs: Caregiver Coaching for Clinicians

Abstract: How can clinicians take a strengths-based approach to guide and coach parents? How can we go from professional led intervention to co-creating intervention with families? Participants will brainstorm, analyze, revisit, practice, and collectively develop tools for guiding and coaching families of children with communication disorders.

Description: “There is no more effective way to empower people than to see each person in terms of their strengths.” (Don Clifton, Father of Psychology and Inventor of Clifton Strengths)

As professionals, we often wonder how to improve our practice while guiding and coaching families who have children with speech, language, hearing, feeding, and/or other communication disorders. How can we engage families in different ways? What does it take to implement principles of family centered care (FCC) and caregiver coaching (CC) as we focus them towards best possible outcomes for their children?
A strengths-based approach (SBC) is an innovative way to view our role as the coach in a relationship when working with children with communication disorders and their families. It utilizes evidence-based principles that allow for family-clinician partnerships focusing on family learning styles and strengths. A strengths-based approach definition from the social work field is:
Practice methods and strategies that identify and draw upon the strengths of children, families, and communities. It acknowledges each family’s unique set of strengths, challenges, and supports. It also includes focusing on strengths, what someone is doing well, adult learning theory, and then using those strengths to grow skills in other areas.
How can clinicians take a strengths-based approach to guide and coach parents? How can we go from professional led intervention to co-creating intervention with families? What are the family’s strengths? Moreover, how can we guide and coach them to use those strengths for better outcomes for their child?
From our experience at Cook Children’s along with the literature on strengths-based practice, education, coaching, health literacy, and family centered care, keys to using a strengths-based approach with families include:
• Being open-minded about family goals and implementation
• Valuing family differences
• Knowing that every family has the potential, with their unique strengths, to help their child
• Understanding how families learn
• Discerning their comfort level for implementing therapy goals, activities, and strategies
• Using health literacy principles
• Developing skills in asking questions and fully listening to families
• Observing without judgement
• Adapting to family dynamics and situations
• Encouraging and celebrating with the family

For this presentation, we will share examples of strengths-based approach along with strategies as it applies to coaching characteristics (D. Rush and M. Sheldon, 2011).
• Joint planning
• Observation
• Action and practice
• Reflection
• Feedback
The examples will include:
• Video clips of intervention (coaching in session and then parent implementation either in therapy or video therapy)
• Parent interviews sharing about coaching and co-creating intervention activities, goals, and home programs for their child
• Case study examples for brainstorming, planning and overcoming barriers
• Sample lesson plan that includes caregiver coaching strategies

Presentation Format & Methods: This is an instructor led, participant centered interactive workshop. Speaker will use videos, case studies, power-point, handouts, parent interviews, and intervention examples to share content and apply information. Participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm, analyze, revisit, reality practice, and share out information. Participants will collectively develop tools to use in guiding and coaching families of children with communication disorders.

Supporting Research: Reference 1: 1. Aguilar, E. (2016, April 16). Asset-Based Coaching: Focusing on Strengths. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-asset-based-coaching-focusing-on-strengths/2016/04

Supporting Research: Reference 2: 2. An Individualized, Strengths-Based Approach in Public Child Welfare Driven Systems of Care. (2008, March). Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/acloserlook/strengthsbased/strengthsbased1/

Supporting Research: Reference 3: 3. Tschannen-Moran, M., Tschannen, R. (2020). Evocative coaching: Transforming schools one conversation at a time. CORWIN Press INC.

Supporting Research: Reference 4: 4. Rush, D., Shelden, M. (2011) The Early Childhood Coaching Handbook. (2011). Paul Brookes.

Supporting Research: Reference 5: