Private Parent Coaching

Personalized support for parents and caregivers of gender-diverse young people

When your child is on a gender journey, it can bring up so much all at once.

Love. Fear. Confusion. Grief. Protectiveness. Urgency. Questions you never expected to be asking. Decisions you don’t feel ready to make. Conversations you don’t know how to have.

And underneath all of it, one deep truth remains:

You want what’s best for your child.

At TransFamily Alliance (TFA), we know that parents and caregivers are one of the most important factors in a young person’s well-being. We also know that this journey can feel incredibly lonely when you’re trying to hold everything together while sorting through misinformation, family dynamics, school concerns, and your own emotions at the same time. TFA’s existing messaging emphasizes exactly that: parents matter enormously, and the path often begins with a lot of fear and confusion before moving toward clarity and confidence.

That’s why we decided to start offering a coaching program. While many parents prefer our groups, we are also keenly aware that some parents prefer or need more individualized 1 to 1 coaching.

Our individualized coaching is a private, personalized coaching experience for parents and caregivers who want thoughtful, compassionate, expert guidance and resources tailored to their child, their family, and their specific situation.

Whether you’re just beginning to understand your child’s gender experience, trying to navigate a difficult transition point, or wanting more individualized support than a group setting can offer, our coaches are here for you.

You do not have to figure this out alone.

A place where understanding meets action

Individualized Parent Coaching is designed to help parents move through the emotional overwhelm that so often comes with this journey and toward something steadier, clearer, and more grounded. Many parents come in feeling confused, frightened, isolated, or unsure of how to respond well. What they often need is not more noise or more pressure, but a calm, thoughtful space where they can begin to make sense of what is happening, understand their child more deeply, and feel more confident in the support they offer.

Like Navigating the Gender Journey, our group coaching program, this coaching is rooted in the belief that families need accurate information, emotional support, practical guidance, and a space free of judgment. And sometimes a group setting is not enough. Sometimes what is needed most is a private space where the focus can stay on your child, your family, your questions, your fears, your process, and the decisions right in front of you. This coaching offers exactly that: personalized support that helps you turn uncertainty into clarity that you’l know the next best steps for helping or supporting your child, yourself, and your family.

Who this is for

Private Parent Coaching is for:

  • Parents and caregivers of gender-diverse, transgender, nonbinary, or questioning young people
  • Families at any stage of the journey — from “my child just told me” to “we’ve been in this for years, but we need more support and trusted information now”
  • Parents who want more individualized attention than a group program can provide
  • Caregivers trying to make sense of social alignment (transitions), school issues, mental health concerns, medical questions, legal alignment, or family conflict
  • Co-parents who are struggling to stay aligned
  • Parents who are supportive, but overwhelmed
  • Parents who want to be supportive, but need help getting there
  • Families who need a private, respectful place to ask hard questions without shame

This is especially helpful if:

  • your child is in distress and you want to respond well
  • your family feels divided or stuck
  • you’re carrying fear and don’t know what information to trust
  • you’re worried about “getting it wrong”
  • your child is asking for changes and you don’t know how to think through them
  • you feel alone in this, even if others around you mean well

TFA’s current parent coaching page already frames its audience similarly: caregivers of gender-diverse young people seeking guidance, better communication, and emotional as well as practical support.

Why Private coaching?

Group coaching can be incredibly powerful. There is something deeply meaningful about being in a space with other parents who understand the questions, emotions, and challenges that can come with loving and supporting a gender-diverse child. Community can be healing, and many parents feel less alone when they realize others are walking a similar path.

At the same time, there are moments when more private, individualized support is what a family needs most. Some parents are facing very specific questions, complex family dynamics, school concerns, or decisions that feel too personal to work through in a group setting. Others simply need a space where they can slow down, speak openly, and focus on what is happening in their own family without having to fit their experience into a broader conversation.

Private coaching offers that kind of space. It allows us to move at a pace that fits your family, your emotional readiness, and the realities you are navigating right now. It creates room for deeper reflection, more personalized guidance, and honest conversation around the issues that matter most to you. This is not one-size-fits-all support. It is tailored, relational, and responsive, because every family’s journey is different, and sometimes the most meaningful support begins in a space that is just for you.

What we can work on together

Understanding your child’s gender experience

Many parents come into this work carrying important and deeply human questions. You may be wondering what your child is really going through, how to make sense of what they are expressing, what they need from you, or what the research actually says. You may also still be trying to understand it all yourself, and that can feel unsettling, especially when you want so badly to respond well.

This coaching helps parents develop a more grounded and informed understanding of gender diversity, so that fear and confusion do not have to be the only things guiding their response. Together, we create space to explore your questions thoughtfully, build a clearer picture of your child’s experience, and help you move toward greater confidence, steadiness, and connection.

Improving communication with your child

Loving your child does not always mean knowing exactly how to talk about what is happening. Many parents care deeply and want to get it right, but still find themselves unsure of what to say, how to respond, or how to handle conversations that feel emotional, tense, or high stakes. When communication becomes strained, it can leave everyone feeling hurt, defensive, or further apart, even when the desire for connection is still very much there.

Individualized coaching helps parents strengthen communication in ways that build more trust and understanding over time. Together, we can work on having difficult conversations with greater skill, reducing patterns of defensiveness, shutdown, or escalating conflict, and helping you better understand what your child may be needing emotionally from you. The goal is not perfection, but more connection, more steadiness, and a stronger foundation for the relationship you want to build.

Navigating social alignment questions

Questions around social alignment can bring up a lot for parents and caregivers. Things like name changes, pronouns, clothing, school, friendships, extended family, public settings, and safety concerns can feel deeply emotional and, at times, overwhelming. For many families, these are not small decisions. They can carry a great deal of meaning, fear, and uncertainty, especially when you are trying to balance your child’s needs with the realities of the world around them.

In coaching, we help families think through these questions with care and intention. Rather than rushing decisions or reacting from fear, we create space to explore what is coming up and what may be most supportive for your child and family. The goal is to help you approach these decisions in a way that is compassionate, practical, and grounded in your child’s developmental needs and overall well-being.

Sorting through medical questions and fear

Medical questions can bring up a great deal of fear for parents and caregivers, especially with so much conflicting information coming from the internet, the media, and other people’s opinions. Many families find themselves feeling overwhelmed, unsure of what to trust, and afraid of making the wrong decision.

In coaching, we help slow that process down. We support families in finding credible information, asking more grounded and thoughtful questions, and sorting through concerns in a way that feels calmer and more informed. The goal is not to rush families toward decisions, but to help them approach medical questions with greater clarity, steadiness, and confidence about what support may be needed and what steps make sense for their child and family.

Working through your own emotional process

This journey can bring up a wide range of emotions for parents and caregivers. Grief, guilt, fear, anger, confusion, and a sense of loss can all show up, sometimes all at once. Even parents who deeply love and want to support their child may find themselves carrying feelings they didn’t expect, and that can be painful and disorienting.

Many parents also feel ashamed of these emotions, especially if they worry that having them means they are not being supportive enough. But having feelings does not make you a bad parent. It makes you human. This coaching creates space for honesty, reflection, and growth, so that what you are feeling can be understood and worked through in a way that helps you show up with greater steadiness, compassion, and care for your child.

Family systems, co-parenting, and advocacy

For many families, the challenges are not only about understanding a child’s gender journey, but also about navigating everything around it. Caregivers may not always be on the same page. Extended family members may struggle to understand or respect boundaries. Schools, community spaces, and other systems can bring added stress, confusion, or conflict. In many cases, parents are trying to support their child while also managing the reactions, fears, and expectations of the people around them.

This coaching can help families work through those larger dynamics with greater clarity and intention. Together, we can explore differences between caregivers, think through how to set healthy boundaries with relatives or others in your circle, and develop a more grounded approach to school or community advocacy. The goal is to help you become a steadier, more confident support for your child while also building a thoughtful plan for the next stage of your family’s journey.

TransFamily Alliance: Parent support Network

What this coaching experience offers

This program is designed to offer parents and caregivers:

  • a safe, confidential, and compassionate space
  • personalized education and guidance
  • emotional support without judgment
  • practical tools you can use right away
  • stronger understanding of your child’s needs
  • more confidence in your role as a parent
  • a clearer sense of next steps

By the end of your coaching work, our hope is that you will feel more grounded, more informed, and more able to support your young person with clarity, confidence, and love — language TransFamily Alliance already uses prominently in its parent coaching and Gender Journey materials.

What makes this different

There is so much noise surrounding families right now. So much fear, pressure, and politicized messaging, along with countless voices telling parents what they should think, feel, or do. In the middle of all that, many caregivers are left feeling overwhelmed, confused, and afraid of making the wrong move.

What many families actually need is something far more human: accurate information, a calm and thoughtful guide, space to process what they are feeling, and support in taking the next right step. That is what we aim to provide through individualized coaching.

Our approach is:

  • affirming
  • parent-centered without losing sight of the child
  • emotionally honest
  • grounded in experience
  • practical, compassionate, and non-shaming

We understand that most parents are doing their best while carrying an enormous amount of pressure. You don’t need to come in with everything figured out. You don’t need to be perfectly informed or perfectly confident. You simply need to be willing to show up, be open, and take the process one step at a time.

It is important to note that coaching is not therapy

Like Navigating the Gender Journey, Private Parent Coaching is not therapy. While many of our coaches are therapists and gender specialists, what we provide through this program is coaching, which is educational, forward thinking, and support-focused, not clinical treatment or mental health therapy.

This coaching is designed to provide:

  • education
  • support
  • reflection
  • practical tools
  • guidance for navigating family and caregiving challenges

It is not a substitute for psychotherapy, crisis care, or mental health treatment.

If your family needs therapy or a higher level of support, we may encourage you to seek additional services alongside or instead of coaching.

You may be a good fit if...

This coaching may be a good fit if you are looking for support and guidance, but not therapy. It is for parents and caregivers who want a thoughtful, knowledgeable guide—someone who understands the complexity of this journey and can help them make sense of what they are facing. It is also for those who want a space where they can ask real questions, speak honestly, and receive practical, compassionate help without judgment.

You may be especially well suited for this program if you want to support your child well, even if you still feel uncertain, overwhelmed, or in process yourself. Many parents come in not because they have everything figured out, but because they care deeply and want help turning that love into clearer, more confident action.

You do not have to be “the perfect parent” to begin

Many parents wait longer than they need to before reaching out for support because they believe they should already know how to do this. They tell themselves they should have figured it out by now, that they need to be clearer before asking for help, or that they might say the wrong thing and be judged for it. Some worry that because they are still feeling scared, uncertain, or emotionally mixed, they are somehow not supportive enough to begin.

But this work is not for perfect parents. It is for real parents—parents who care deeply, who are trying, and who want to grow. You are allowed to be in process. You are allowed to need support. You are allowed to ask questions, to feel scared, and to still keep moving toward your child with love. This is a space for honesty, learning, and growth, not perfection.

What sessions may look like...

Depending on your needs, sessions may include:

  • clarifying your biggest concerns
  • understanding where your child and family are on the journey
  • understanding your own emotional process
  • learning core concepts related to gender diversity
  • discussing real-life scenarios at home, school, or in community
  • identifying patterns that may be increasing conflict or disconnection
  • developing tools for communication and advocacy
  • creating a practical next-step plan you can actually use

Every family comes into this work with different needs, different questions, and a different level of urgency. Some need immediate support and clarity to help steady the situation at home. Others need space to work through grief, adjustment, or the emotional complexity of what this journey is bringing up. Some are looking for focused guidance around one specific decision or transition point, while others benefit from ongoing support over time. Whatever your family is navigating, this coaching is tailored to meet you where you are.

For parents who feel alone

One of the hardest parts of this journey is how lonely it can feel. Even when you love your child deeply and are doing your best to support them, you may still feel like there is nowhere to bring your questions, fears, or uncertainty. Some parents feel misunderstood by friends, unsupported by family, or afraid that whatever they say will be judged by someone. That kind of isolation can be incredibly heavy to carry.

Individualized coaching offers a more private space to lay some of that down. It gives you room to exhale, to stop feeling like you have to perform certainty, and to speak honestly about where you are. From that place, it becomes easier to feel more supported, more grounded, and more able to show up for your child with greater thoughtfulness, steadiness, and care.

A gentler, steadier path forward

No one can take away all of the complexity that may come with this journey, but you do not have to move through it without support. You can have a space where you are able to slow down, think clearly, and sort through what is happening with greater steadiness. You can have guidance that helps you separate fear from facts, outside pressure from your own values, and urgency from thoughtful decision-making.

Over time, this kind of support can help you feel more grounded and more anchored in your role as a parent. And that matters deeply. Parents play such an important role in a child’s overall well-being, and when caregivers feel more supported, informed, and steady, they are often better able to offer the kind of presence and care their child needs most.

Ready to start?

If you are looking for personalized guidance, emotional support, and practical tools to help you better support your gender-diverse young person, we invite you to apply for Private Parent Coaching.

Or, if you’re not sure whether this is the right fit, you can begin by learning more about our parent coaching approach through Navigating the Gender Journey and the broader TransFamily Alliance resources.

Who are the coaches?

Our coaches bring both deep professional experience and genuine human understanding to this work. They have supported many families navigating gender identity, gender alignment-related questions, emotional challenges, and complex family dynamics. Their approach is compassionate, grounded, and thoughtful, offering families not only guidance and education, but also a sense of steadiness during what can often feel like an overwhelming time.

What makes this support especially meaningful is that our coaches bring more than professional knowledge alone. They also bring lived experience, along with years of working closely with families, which allows them to meet parents with both expertise and real understanding. This combination helps create a space that feels deeply supportive, informed, and human—one where parents and caregivers can grow in ways that truly support their children.

Shawn V Giammattei, PhD

Shawn is a clinical family psychologist and the founder of the Gender Health Training Institute and the TransFamily Alliance. He is also a GEI SOC8 Certified Mentor and faculty member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Global Education Institute, an international speaker, a published researcher, and author at the intersection of family work and LGBTQ Affirming Care. He has held leadership roles in major family therapy organizations and has trained clinicians and families across the world.
As a man with a trans history, Shawn brings a layer of personal understanding to his work that credentials alone cannot offer — a quiet but meaningful thread woven through everything he does.

Jill Rees, PhD

Jill (all pronouns) is a licensed psychologist who has worked with Sonoma County teens, adults, partners, and families for over 20 years. With her collaborative and playful approach, Jill supports people to live more authentic lives. She loves to help people find their way to the change they are seeking, whether it is improving their mood, deepening their connection with themselves and loved ones, or finding and expressing their authentic selves.

Petra Janopaul, AMFT & APCC

Petra (she/her) is a narratively-based psychotherapist who helps clients uncover the stories that shape them and supports clients as they author new paths toward meaning, connection, and wellbeing. With warmth, curiosity, and over 30 years of mindfulness practice, Petra supports individuals, couples, and families in navigating challenges around gender identity, trauma, grief, eating concerns, depression, anxiety, neurodivergence, and relationship issues. With specialized training in gender-affirming care and narrative therapy, Petra works synergistically using an integrative approach including DBT, ACT, CBT, IFS, and psychodynamic therapy within a caring, attachment based frame, collaboratively engaging with clients to build on their strengths while cultivating new skills for healing and growth.

Juliette Greenham, MBA

Juliette Greenham is a writer, speaker, musician, and former finance executive. After a successful corporate career, she made the decision to live authentically as a transgender woman — a journey that profoundly transformed her understanding of identity, resilience, and human development.

Today, she supports parents of transgender children and adolescents through a compassionate, grounded, and practical approach, helping families navigate gender journeys with greater understanding, emotional clarity, and connection.

Her work integrates lived experience with Eastern philosophy, meditation, yoga, breathwork, Qi Gong, sound healing practices, emotional awareness, and deep reflection on authenticity, diversity, and purpose.

Juliette is also the author of multiple literary works and a public voice on transformation, consciousness, and human diversity.

Click the button below, apply for the program, speak with one of our coaches,  and join us!

Starting at $250

(per session)

FAQ

This support is not limited to one parent alone. We welcome other key family members to participate when appropriate, including co-parents, stepparents, grandparents, or other caregivers who are closely involved in your child’s life. Gender journeys often impact the whole family system, and sometimes healing, understanding, and alignment happen more fully when loved ones can learn and grow together.

You do not need to arrive with everything figured out. You do need to be willing to engage honestly, respectfully, and in good faith.

No. This can support caregivers of gender-diverse people at many different ages and stages.

Parent Coaching  is not a therapy program. Instead, it is an educational and support-focused experience designed to provide parents and caregivers with the tools, knowledge, and resources to better understand and support their gender-diverse child (of any age). While the program offers opportunities to connect with experts and peers, it does not involve clinical therapy or individualized mental health treatment. It aims to create a safe, informative space where families can learn and share, but it is not a substitute for professional therapeutic services.

Cost & Payment Plans

$250 – Single Session
$950 – 4 Sessions
$1800 – 8 Sessions

 

** Note: Prices reflect U.S. residents. Rates for international residents may differ. Please contact us for more information.

Because of the nature of this program and the limited number of spots available, once you have committed to the group and paid to reserve your spot, your payment for the program will only be reimbursed when there are clearly unavoidable extenuating circumstances and attendance in another group on other dates is not an option.

After the program has started, reimbursement is not available.

In order to secure your place in this coaching program, we have a thorough onboarding process in place to ensure a safe space of committed parents who need this program the most and are dedicated to completing the whole program alongside the other parents in the group.

After you send us an application, you will have an interview with one or both coaches in which you can ask all the questions you need about the program. You will be fully informed of what participation will require from you. We want to make sure this is the right program for you and it is the right time.

* For participants of the Parent Coaching Program, the TransFamily Alliance (TFA) cancellation policies apply after 1 year from the start date in TFA.

YES! All participants will get 2 free months of the TransFamily Alliance as a bonus for joining the program.