How Can Life Coaching Benefit Foster and Adoptive Children, Teens and Parents?

Adoptive and foster families face unique challenges in raising their children.  It is often hard to determine what issues are related to adoption or fostering, and how to address the issues that are.

Just as Olympic athletes would not think of training without the experience, added insight, objective perspective and enthusiastic support of an athletic coach, many adoptive and foster families use the services of a life coach to take their lives, marriages and families to new heights.

What is
Life Coaching?

Coaching is working in a collaborative relationship with a
trained professional to help you, your child and your family reach their God
given potential.  This is achieved by
identifying key issues, learning, setting goals, providing support, and
regularly reassessing progress.

How is
coaching unique?

Coaches come alongside to offer support, accountability,
vision casting, goal setting and encouragement.
Coaches are trained to empower you to make rapid changes. Meetings may
take place in person, via phone or video calls.

What are
some benefits of coaching?

Most families working through adoptive and fostering challenges long for understanding, support, and community. They also desire to draw closer together as a family, deepening their connections and get along better.

Many parents hope their teens and children will understand the issues related to adoption, develop close friends, utilize their gifts and talents, and recognize and manage their emotions. All of these can be achieved with the help of a life coach.

Who will benefit
from coaching?

Coaching is most helpful for parents, teens and children ages 10 and up. If coaching participants are also in counseling, they may still work with a coach if they are stable and if their counselor approves.

Coaching is not a replacement for mental health treatment and is not appropriate for those who are experiencing issues such as suicidal thoughts, extreme emotional dysregulation, self-harm, depression, etc.

How is
coaching different from counseling? 

There is some overlap between coaching and counseling, but some key differences too.  Many of the communication techniques like listening, reflecting and questioning are similar, and both offer education on issues related to adoption.

Counseling utilizes a licensed professional and the focus is typically on mental health issues and on bringing healing to past trauma and losses.

On the other hand, coaching is present and future oriented, focusing on practical life changes that help people apply what they are learning or get from where they are to where God wants them to be.

training do you have?

In addition to extensive adoption, attachment and trauma related training, Renee holds a professional life coaching certificate through the International Coach Federation.

To obtain her coaching certification, she has undergone rigorous education and instruction.  She continues to develop her skills and grow professionally through advanced training. For more information about the International Coach Federation please visit this website,

What are some specific ways a life
coach can benefit a foster or adoptive family?

  1. Providing life skills training for children and teens to help
    with communication, friendships, organization and social media success.
  2. Guiding children and teens in discovering their
    unique gifts, talents and abilities.
  3. Teaching and training parents on issues related
    to adoption and foster care.
  4. Working with parents to help them understand why
    their child is exhibiting certain behaviors and offering parenting tips and
    suggestions to help them respond in a firm but positive way.
  5. Giving tools for parents to help manage their
    own emotions and reactions to their child.
  6. Guiding marriages to draw closer together.
  7. Teaching life skills to groups of adoptive and foster
    children, teens and parents so they can grow together.
  8. Offering referrals and help navigating other
  9. Working with families who are placing their
    child in a residential treatment facility.

If you have any questions or would like more information, call
today to see if life coaching is a good fit for your family!

Two are better than one, because they have a good
  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Renee is a life coach who specializes in working with foster and adoptive families. She is based in Louisville, Kentucky but she works with clients all over the US through internet coaching. You can find more information about her services at or you may contact Renee at Her Facebook page is


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