Frequently Asked Questions

When does the next Training begin?

The next training begins in September 2023. 

Is the Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Online Course which is a prerequisite for this Training included in the cost of this Training?

No. If you are interested enough in Peaceful Parenting to consider this Training, you will definitely not want to miss the Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Online Course, which is essential to understanding and implementing Peaceful Parenting. The Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Course is offered three times a year and has been taken by more than 10,000 parents. It is a prerequisite for this Training because it offers you the foundation for understanding Peaceful Parenting and is essential to the more advanced teachings in this Training. It is priced separately from this Training, at $167, which is intentionally about half of its market value, to make it available to as many parents as possible. Scholarships are available. If you are even considering taking this Training at any point, you will be doing yourself a favor if you enroll as soon as possible to take the Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Course. We may well change our future policy so that trainees cannot enroll in the Course and the Training at the same time. It is very difficult to do justice to both the PPHK Course and the Coach or Educator Training at once. 

I have not yet taken the Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Online Course which is a prerequisite for this Training. Do I need to take it prior to the Training?

YES!  You cannot do justice to both at the same time, so it is required that you complete it and take an assessment prior to this Training. Please enroll in the PPHK Course that begins in January or April if you are even thinking about taking this Training. If you have not yet taken the PPHK Course and want to enroll in the September Coach or Parent Educator Training, please immediately reach out to Beth Peterson at Administrator@AhaParenting.com. If there is sufficient time prior to the Training for you to finish the PPHK Course, she can give you access to complete the Course on a self-paced basis. You will register for the Course separately from the Coach or Parent Educator Training.

What is the time commitment of this Training?

You can expect to spend:

• 1.5 hours/month participating live in the Training Sessions with Dr. Laura.
• 1 hour/month participating live in the group Mentoring Sessions with a parenting coach who trained with Dr. Laura.
• 1 hour/month participating live in the sessions with your cohort.
• 4 hours/month listening to the pre-recorded lectures.
• 3 hours/month participating in Office Hours and/or listening to past Office Hours.
• 1 hours per month on your homework assignments.
• 2 hours per month learning transformative parenting strategies from the Success Path spotlights.
• 3 hours per month learning about peaceful parenting from the Success Path Q & A Topics.

That's more than 16 hours/month.  In addition, since you have access to the full Membership resources, you could easily spend many more hours listening to Office Hours and also Dr. Laura's Audio Library, to learn from her answers to parents' questions on virtually every topic. 

Parent Educator trainees graduate December 14, and Coach Trainees have very few obligations in December.  Beginning in January, Coach Trainees will find their work load shifts as they begin to coach a client for six weeks. Coach trainees also present a case presentation to the larger group, and have three solo meetings with Dr. Laura.

How do I access this Training?

Everything is online. Most of it is recorded so you can listen on your own schedule.

When is the monthly live Coaching Training session with Dr. Laura?

The Live Coaching Sessions with Dr. Laura are one Thursday/month from 4 to 5:30pm ET. That's at 9pm in London and at 6am in Australia -- not ideal, but it allows everyone to make it. If you can't attend live, the sessions will always be recorded. 

Are the monthly Coach Training sessions the only part of the Training that needs to be participated in "live"?

You will also be assigned to meet monthly with a group with your Coach Mentor. While you can watch the recordings later, it is better to participate live, both to ask questions and to feel more connected. You will have some flexibility on choosing the time of these meetings.

In addition, you will be assigned a Cohort to meet with on a monthly basis. Those meetings require your live presence, but your cohort will be in the same (or similar) time zones, and you will work with your cohort to set a time for the meeting that works for everyone. 

I am already in the Success Path to Peaceful Parenting, which I see is included as part of the training. Do I get credit for my payment for the Success Path?

Yes! We will extend your Success Path subscription so that you are not charged for the months while you are in this training.

If you are NOT currently a member of the Success Path, you should know that while you are in the Parent Educator Training, you receive free access to the Success Path Membership. As a special bonus, you receive access to not only the current Success Path Spotlight but also all past Spotlights. All of this material is downloadable, so this is a huge bonus -- it is the cost of two years of membership, since there are two years of Spotlights. The usual cost of the Success Path Membership is $169/year. 

If you want to retain membership in the Success Path because you find it of value, you will need to pay for that once the Parent Educator Training ends, at $169/year or $10/month. But this is not required.

Can I earn CE credits for this training?

Sorry, at this point we cannot offer CE credits for this training. We do hope to arrange CE credits in the future. But we think that the benefits of this training to your work will far outweigh the lack of CE credits.

How does the billing work?

Both the Parent Educator and the Coach Trainings are set up with payment plans to make them more affordable. You will pay the first month when you register for the Training. After that, your card will be charged the monthly amount for the number of months indicated. Your card info is kept by a certified third party billing service called Stripe. We never see your card. Please note that once you pass the refund period, you are consenting to pay the entire amount due, even if you decide to end your participation before the program is completed.

Are there any additional fees for materials or access?

Yes. You will need to have access to all three of Dr. Laura's books, but you will receive one of them when you take the PPHK Online Course. (As a prerequisite, the Course is a separate purchase from this Training, so if you have not yet taken it, that is also an additional fee).

Coaches will also need to pay for Zoom or the equivalent to record six hour-long sessions with clients, and to transcribe those sessions.

Can I download and keep the materials from this Training?

Yes! All of the lectures and the Training Session recordings are downloadable.

Are there scholarships available for this training?

Yes, there are a small number of partial scholarships available for the Parent Educator Track. These are reserved for practitioners who are already working in communities of color. Please send an email to DrLauraMarkham@AhaParenting.com.

Please note that both of the training tracks are set up with payment plans to make them more affordable, and that the prices are already discounted compared to comparable trainings. This is a professional training, which means that you are investing in your future as an Educator or Coach. The Training allows you to interact and be trained over many months directly with Dr. Laura Markham. The Coach Training allows you to receive ongoing individualized feedback about your work from Dr. Laura and to receive a Coach listing on the Aha! Parenting website, which gives you years of client referrals. And the Educator level gives you the amazing value of three months of training by an internationally recognized expert at a price that is very affordable even for a parenting educator just beginning in the business.

Can international students participate?

Yes, absolutely! We have many international students. The meetings will not always be at the most convenient times for those outside the US, but you don't need to attend everything live.

I know Dr. Laura Markham’s book Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids covers ages 0-9, but how about this training?

This is a training on coaching parents who have children of all ages using the peaceful parenting approach. If you look at the AhaParenting.com website, you will see that Dr. Laura does speak to parents of babies through teens.

What is the structure of the Training?

This training is designed to help you become an "expert" in Peaceful Parenting, so a lot of what you will learn will be geared toward that goal. In addition, Parent Educator Trainees will learn the skills of parent education, including answering parent questions, explaining concepts, and creating handouts for parents. They will also receive a Handbook so they can launch their own parent book groups to gain further practice. Coach Trainees will do all of the above plus will have the opportunity to coach actual clients under the supervision of Dr. Laura, a coach mentor, and a peer cohort.

Because Dr. Laura's work is so extensive in addressing Peaceful Parenting, her writing forms the foundation of the initial "syllabus." You will begin immediately reviewing (or introducing yourself to) the following materials, which thoroughly cover The Peaceful Parenting approach.

• The Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Course, which you must have completed prior to this Training.
• The Success Path to Peaceful Parenting - Spotlights on Anger, Anxiety, Roughhousing, Self Regulation, Setting Limits, Special Time etc.
• Dr. Laura's three books: Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings, and the Workbook.

You will also have access to a full library of Dr. Laura's Training lectures, which are released every Monday.

In addition, you are encouraged to begin watching recordings of Dr. Laura coaching parents, to learn to answer parent questions. Coaching is modeled using Dr. Laura's Audio Library (60 hours of Dr. Laura answering parent questions about a wide range of topics), and the Success Path Office Hours Library (30+ videos of Dr. Laura coaching parents during Workshops and Office Hours). Please keep a running list of questions that arise for you as you watch these coaching sessions and ask them during the Coach Training meetings.

Dr. Laura hosts monthly live Training sessions when all Parent Educator and Coach Trainees are welcome to ask questions and to participate via the chat. These sessions include actual practical experience that will be invaluable to both Parent Educators and Coaches, such as listening/empathy exercises, or a handbook on hosting a parent book group. After the Parent Educators "graduate", the Coach training continues into the new year, when it will include Workshops such as Working with Resistance, Staying Regulated as a Coach, reading one of Dr. Laura's Case Studies, etc. All sessions are recorded for convenient listening. 

Each track has its own private Facebook Group for the Training. All Trainees are encouraged to participate fully, for learning, support and connection.

Each track has its own Organizer to help you keep track of what you need to do.

What Topics are Covered in the Lecture Library?

Both Parent Educator and Coach Trainees have access to these lectures:

• What exactly IS Peaceful Parent Education and Coaching?
• Using Preventive Maintenance Tools to increase Connection.
• Child Development - Part 1
• Child Development: Babies and Toddlers
• Child Development: Preschoolers
• Child Development: School-Age Kids
• Child Development: Tweens and Teens
• Healing Attachment - Part 1
• Healing Attachment - Part 2
• When a child is Hitting
• Sibling Conflict
• Sibling Rivalry
• Teaching Parents to Respond Constructively to Misbehavior

In addition, Coach Trainees have access to these lectures about coaching:

• How to make intake forms work for you.
• The first session- Forging a bond and giving hope.
• The second session- Finding a win.
• How to Double-click during a session to understand what’s really going on.
• Helping parents learn to self-regulate.
• Working with Couples
• Reporting and Referring

Do participants need to have a child psychology background to understand the concepts and apply them in Coaching Practice?

No. This training will give you enough insight into child psychology and family dynamics to understand and apply the concepts and techniques in Parent Education or in a Coaching Practice. 

What is the application process for the Coach Training?

Once you register for the Coach Training, you will receive an email with the application. Since you will have a listing on the AhaParenting.com website, we need to be sure that you have enough background in the field for us to recommend you to clients. If for any reason you are not accepted into the Coach program, you will be offered a place in the Parent Educator Track, which is a terrific way to begin gaining experience to later enroll in the Coach Training. If you decline to participate in the Parent Educator Track, your payment will be promptly refunded.

I'm having a hard time deciding which track is appropriate for me.

Both tracks provide a solid grounding in the Peaceful Parenting approach, and how to apply it to a variety of family situations. Both tracks give you extensive examples of handling a range of parent questions. Both tracks offer audios, printables and other tools to address the most important challenges facing parents. Both tracks guide you through a reading list, and lectures from Dr. Laura, on your own schedule. Both tracks allow you to interact directly with Dr. Laura to ask parenting questions as part of her Success Path to Peaceful Parenting Membership Office Hours (but remember that there are many parents asking questions and the focus of the Office Hours is on parenting as opposed to Coach Training.) Both tracks give you a Handbook and training which allows you to immediately launch your own parent book groups, which is a terrific way to easily get into the business of supporting parents. Finally, both tracks give you the opportunity to ask Dr. Laura questions live during the Training sessions.

However, the Parent Educator Track does not give you coaching experience or supervision. You will graduate in three months with a framable certificate for your website saying that you are certified as a Parent Educator.  This will not qualify you to practice as a coach and you cannot claim in your marketing that Dr. Laura has trained you to coach parents.

The Coach Track gives you an additional five months of training, during which you actually see clients in a supervised way. You not only meet privately with Dr. Laura, but you also meet monthly with your coaching mentor and your cohort who support you as you learn to coach. In addition, the extra months of training give you a live seminar with Dr. Laura on the business aspects of Coaching, a Case Study discussion, and the opportunity to discuss and engage in exercises related to the biggest challenges of coaching. You graduate in May with a framable certificate and a badge for your website saying that you are certified as a Peaceful Parenting Coach. You will then receive a listing on Dr. Laura's website which is valuable to reach potential clients and also allows you to receive referrals from her.

Is the content on parenting similar for each track?

The initial content is similar for each track, since both Parent Educators and Coaches need to become experts in the Peaceful Parenting approach, in answering parent questions, and in hosting parent education groups. However, the Coaching track lasts more than twice as long and includes additional lectures on coaching as well as additional practice.  Even for Parent Educators, though, the resources that you will learn from are quite extensive, and how much  time you are able to put in will determine how much you learn.

Since much of the content is the same, why is the Coaching track so much more of an investment?

In addition to everything included in the Parent Educator Training, the Coaching track gives you:

• Private mentoring sessions with Dr. Laura that includes her listening to some of your sessions with clients and which also give you the opportunity to consult with her about your own family (Value: $2025, or priceless given that she is not available for new clients).
• Six additional lectures (Value: $3000) that teach you to coach parents including: "How to make intake forms work for you," "The first session- Forging a bond and giving hope," "The second session- Finding a win," "How to Double-click during a session to understand what’s really going on," "Helping parents learn to self-regulate," 'Working with Couples," "Reporting and Referring."
• Example Intake and Client Agreement Forms plus Planning Worksheets (Value: $1000).
• A seminar on "The Business of Coaching" that includes the nuts and bolts of how to get started (Value: $1000).
• A seminar with a Case Study of one of Dr. Laura's cases that allows you to read (anonymized) transcripts (Value: $800).
• Five additional group meetings with Dr. Laura where you have the opportunity to discuss any issue and ask her any question you like (Value: $1500).
• Four additional group meetings with a Coach Mentor  (Value: $800).
• Pro bono coaching experience with a live client for six sessions, with the opportunity to continue working with the client on a paid basis (Value: $1500).
• The opportunity to prepare and present a Case Conference on your work with your client, and receive feedback, as well as to attend 10 other presentations that you will learn from. (Value: $2000).
• A certification from Dr. Laura as a Peaceful Parenting Coach, which will last the rest of your life (Value: $5000).
• A lifetime listing on the AhaParenting.com website, which has half a million visitors per month (Value: $10,000).

As you can see, the Coach training offers much more professional development opportunity, which can be itemized at an additional value of over $28,000. The listing on the AhaParenting.com website alone can be worth the entire cost of the training over time. The Parent Educator Training is a great value for less than $1000, but it does NOT train you to be a parenting coach and it certifies you only as a Parent Educator. 

If I take the Parent Educator Training, what professional opportunities would make the financial investment worth it?

Parent Educators can use this three month training to become experts in Peaceful Parenting, which supports you in your own parenting and also gives you a solid foundation professionally. You will learn how to answer parent questions and be given a Handbook to launch your own parent book groups, which is a terrific way to ease into the business of supporting parents with peaceful parenting.

If I take the Coach Training, what professional opportunities would make the financial investment worth it?

The Coach Training is for professionals who want more skills and expertise to become parenting coaches. You will be able to advertise on your website that you are certified as a Peaceful Parenting coach by Dr. Laura, which is a powerful endorsement for parents. Coach graduates also receive a listing in Dr. Laura's Coaching Directory on the AhaParenting.com website, which serves as a source of client referrals. The AhaParenting.com website attracts an audience of over a half million parents every month.

I don't intend to become a parent coach, but want to weave the peaceful parenting theory and practices into my current (related) work with parents and/or children. Which track would be most suitable?

The Parent Educator track will be perfect for you. There is no need to pay extra for the professional development opportunities offered by the  Coaching track.

Does this training allow me to offer my own Peaceful Parenting Courses using Dr. Laura's materials?

If you have to use Dr. Laura's materials, you are not quite ready to offer your own Course yet! But yes, both Parent Educators and Coaches can launch your own book groups, using the Handbook we give you in the Training. This is a terrific way to get started in the business. You can also offer support groups for people enrolled in Dr. Laura's Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids Course. You receive all the proceeds from these groups. When you're ready to develop your own materials, you can offer your own courses. And you will certainly be informed by Dr. Laura's ideas, and learn to put them into your own words!

When will this Training be offered again?

It is hoped that this Training will be offered every September for the next few years, but that is not guaranteed. In addition, the content, prices and tracks are subject to revision.

I have already taken the Educator Track. Is there a discount if I register to be a Coach?

Yes! There is a $300 discount. So your total expenditure to train this way is only slightly more than if you had just started with the more expensive track. In addition, you will need to go through the entire training time period again, although obviously you will not have to repeat work you have completed already. And the great news is that the training is improved each year, so you will not only receive an improved training, but you will have extra time to engage with the materials and to ask Dr. Laura questions. That means that your learning will certainly be much greater than if you had started with the Coaching track!

If you have already taken the Parent Educator Training, and you register for the Coach Training, you will receive an automatic refund of $300 on your first payment. You will also receive preference in your application for the Coach Training! 

Is it possible to change which Training track you're in once the Training starts?

We will accommodate that if we can. But there are limited Coach Training spots and there is an application process to be accepted into them.

I have no experience as a Coach or Counselor but I love Peaceful Parenting. Will this training make me into a Counselor?

This training will make you an expert on Peaceful Parenting, with substantial understanding of child development and how to support parents. You will get experience listening  and empathizing and you will learn a lot about tools that work to help families change. So this is a wonderful and extensive training and it will transform your ability to work with parents and understand children. 

But if you have no other experience working with parents and/or children, or coaching or counseling, then this training should be viewed as a first step. 

Even if you take the Coach Training, you will probably want to pursue additional supervision as you begin your work with clients, possibly with a Coach Mentor from the Training.  There is no requirement, and in fact not much possibility that you will be able to have continued supervision with Dr. Laura because of her schedule. Many of the Peer Cohort groups from the Training do continue after the Training ends, though, which is an invaluable source of support. Many of the Coach Trainees do contract for supervision after the end of the training with one of the Coaches that Dr. Laura trained in the past.

How will I prove that I received this training?

You will receive a certificate suitable for framing specifying that you are either a Peaceful Parent Educator or a Peaceful Parent Coach. Coaches also receive a badge for your website.

Will there be renewal fees for the certification or is this a lifetime certification?

This is a Lifetime Certification! However, Dr. Laura reserves the right, at her sole discretion, to revoke her certification in the event of allegations of behavior that is unethical or unprofessional or otherwise reflects badly on her or other certified coaches.

What is your refund policy?

You have Dr. Laura's 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you do all the work for the first month and honestly don't see the value, please write to DrLauraMarkham@AhaParenting.com, attaching your completed coursework for the first month, and we will issue you a refund, less 6% of all fees paid (which is what we pay out in merchant fees when you make a payment or receive a refund). To be eligible for a refund, you must submit your request within thirty days of the first live meeting of the Training, which means by October 15.