About me
Hi, I’m Jo, I am a Mum to a pre-teen and Step Mum to teenagers, a Parent Coach and the founder of Invisible Thread.
I offer 1:1 or group coaching online. I can also meet for in person coaching sessions depending on your location. I know that coaching can be a transformative experience, it certainly changed my life and the lives of many I have worked with.
I know that parenting can be hard and I love helping parents find the balance and joy that they desire and deserve. I have a natural affinity with children and have worked with them in a voluntary capacity since my teens in both educational and recreational settings. Children bring so many gifts for growth and they help me tap into my silly, playful and creative sides, I remain open and curious about the lessons that children can bring us. My thoughts on our role in our children’s lives are best captured in the Kahlil G poem ‘On Children’.
Giving support to families is my passion without a doubt but gardening comes a close second and I can often be found knee deep in weeds in our very wild but heavenly garden. I often relate raising children to tending a garden especially the need to focus on the roots not the fruits.
I support parents, like gardeners, to create loving, safe and nurturing environments for their children in which they can develop their sense of self through imitation, play, exploration and using their imaginations.
At Invisible Thread I work in partnership with the wonderful parenting support community Great Parenting Simplified which is a social care not for profit organisation that works internationally supporting parents through 1:1 coaching, parenting programs and longer-term parenting support groups.
I discovered Great Parenting Simplified myself after finding our blended family in need of tailored support that we could not find anywhere.
The dynamics of a blended family is a unique situation and in those early years I found myself disoriented and often anxious and overwhelmed, after turning to ‘shelf help’ in the form of books and social media I really lost touch with my intuition and felt the joy of being a parent start to slip away. This is a pattern that I hear time and time again from the parents I work with.
The support I gained from coaching was so empowering, our family would not be the same without the insight and support that coaching gave me. Coaching gave me back the gift of my intuition and confidence and got me back into flow with all my family relationships. As a result of reaching out and receiving parent coaching, I have strengthened the ̒invisible thread' of attachment with my children but also with my husband and between my children and their siblings.
I have been involved with the Great Parenting Simplified community for many years now and have gained my coaching certification and invaluable experience with them during this time. I am also an experienced trainer and facilitator. To date, my work as a parent coach has involved both meeting individually with parents and hosting group support calls where I have guided parents through parenting programs. In addition, I have experience working in the field of family support for the charity Homestart and a fostering organisation. I have provided guidance and support to parents of looked after children and developed therapeutic parenting training courses.
I am now proud to launch Invisible Thread Parent Coaching here in the UK working in partnership with Great Parenting Simplified
Anxiety in Children
and Teens
I am offering tailored support to parents whose children are experiencing anxiety.
I understand how incredibly hard it is for parents who are experiencing this, how hard it is to see your child suffer and how helpless it can leave you feeling. Caring for a loved one with anxiety, whatever the age, can also be isolating and can lead to depression; untreated anxiety can also lead to depression in that individual.
This is why I have completed training on how to help parents get unstuck and move children and teens forward from their anxiety.
As well as individual sessions with parents I also offer an Anxiety Coaching Program.
The Anxiety Coaching Program is designed to be covered over a block of 6 to 12 coaching sessions. By choosing to commit to 12 coaching sessions you will become more immersed in the invaluable material and more likely to make sustainable, effective change.
- The program is designed to be easily accessible and manageable for parents and children (where involved), it is a step by step approach going at a pace that is led by you.
- The content of the program is based on the groundbreaking work of Lynn Lyons, America’s leading psychotherapist on anxiety disorders in children and teens.
- Each week, participants receive an hour’s coaching and receive recommended reading materials and tailored homework for their unique family
- In some situations, a listening partnership may also be arranged for the parent/s
- My support is available through various channels in between the sessions, ensuring that you are never left feeling stuck or overwhelmed on your own.
Further resources
Not Fine in School was created as a resource for the growing numbers of families with children experiencing school attendance barriers.
These barriers often relate to unmet Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (diagnosed or suspected), physical or mental illness, bullying & assault, trauma, excessive academic pressure, overly strict behaviour policies, a missing sense of belonging, and an irrelevant curriculum
School attendance barriers are poorly understood, incorrectly managed, & are compounded by current challenges within education, health & local government systems. This problematic response often has severe consequences for both child and family.
At the heart of Not Fine in School there is a Facebook support group with a membership of 37,000+ parents, carers & other family members. This offers a space for shared lived experience and peer empowerment.
The website offers fantastic free resources for children and parents of children who are currently ‘not fine in school’ including some great videos which help with understanding of how anxiety works in our bodies.
What is the
Invisible Thread?
I see the concept of ‘attachment’ as a strong emotional connection, an ‘Invisible Thread’ between parents or caregivers and their children.
The need for a strong attachment with our children isn’t just in the nurturing baby years when mothers may breastfeed or fathers may wear their children in slings, it is about the way we parent throughout all ages and stages right through to young adults and beyond. Attachment is so essential for humans to thrive that it has been referred to as nature’s super glue for relationships.
The word ‘Discipline’ from the Latin ‘Disciple’ means to ‘teach’ and ‘guide’. By trying to have ‘power over’ our children we are ultimately eroding the important connection or attachment that they so strongly need with us.
We are relational beings, the need for attachment to our caregivers no matter our age is as important as the air we breathe and should never be underestimated, it is nature's way of “growing up” our children, it sets them free and helps them develop into their authentic selves.
There are things we can do that may even be “invisible” to the naked eye that have a powerful effect on strengthening our attachment or conversely, perpetuating disconnection. My coaching will provide you with insight and clarity around this powerful concept and help you to strengthen the ‘Invisible Thread’ with your child.