Parent Coach Training Takes Place in Nashville, Tennessee

We delivered our second parent coach training in Tennessee last weekend – this time in Nashville – along with the help of our partners at Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug, and Other Addiction Services (TAADAS). Our President and CEO, Fred Muench, and one of our parent consultants, Denise Mariano, attended the training and shared their personal experiences with the group.

We worked with nine family members who have been impacted by their child or a loved one’s substance use, and who attended the training to learn how to be volunteer parent coaches. Training sessions can often be emotional, as people share and reflect on their personal family experiences.

While all the families shared very different stories, they were united in their desire to help other parents who are currently struggling with substance use in their own families.

A parent coach training is a weekend-long intensive program, where parents and guardians receive free, specialized CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training)/Motivational Interviewing training. They are conducted by expert, PhD-level clinical staff from our clinical partner, the Center for Motivation and Change, an experienced parent coach ‘mentor’ and professional staff members from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

Once trained, parent coaches commit to volunteer for six months, providing one-on-one support to other parents through personalized guidance over the phone. Parent coaches also participate in bi-weekly training and support calls to discuss current cases, challenges and review key points from the training program.

The next available training session will be in Knoxville, TN over the weekend of September 22-24. For more information or to register, contact Kristina Clark at kristina_clark@drugfree.org. Advance registration is required.