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Parent Consultation as Prevention | Supporting Children Early | RMPS Calgary

Parent Consultation as Prevention: Supporting Children Before Challenges Escalate

At Rocky Mountain Psychological Services (RMPS) in Calgary, we often meet families who say some version of the same thing:

“We noticed small concerns a while ago, but we didn’t think they were serious enough to seek help.”

This experience is incredibly common, and deeply understandable. Parenting does not come with a manual, and many developmental challenges can look “temporary” or age-appropriate at first. However, decades of psychological research now show that early parent consultation is one of the most effective forms of prevention in child mental health.

At RMPS, we view parent consultation not as a reaction to crisis, but as a proactive, preventative service that supports healthy development, strengthens family relationships, and reduces the likelihood that emotional, behavioral, or academic concerns will escalate over time.

In this article, we explain what parent consultation is, why it works as prevention, and how families can benefit from early support, grounded in both clinical experience and peer-reviewed research.

RMPS Philosophy: Prevention Is Powerful

Our clinical philosophy at RMPS is grounded in one core belief:
Supporting parents early supports children long-term.

Children develop within systems, families, schools, and communities. When caregivers feel confident, informed, and supported, children are far more likely to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically. Research consistently shows that parent-focused interventions are among the most effective and sustainable ways to promote child well-being (Kazdin, 2005).

Rather than waiting for a diagnosis or significant impairment, parent consultation allows families to:

  • Address early warning signs
  • Understand development more clearly
  • Gain professional perspective on the issues presented and a plan for services
  • Build protective skills before stressors compound

This preventative lens aligns with best practices in child psychology and public health.

What Is Parent Consultation at RMPS?

Parent consultation at RMPS is a collaborative, strengths-based service designed to help parents understand and support their child more effectively. Sometimes parents aren’t sure if the issue they are concerned about is worthy of assessment or therapy or sometimes parents don’t know where to start. Parent consultation can help parents with understanding the problem and developing a plan. 

Parent consultation emphasizes:

  • Gathering information about the issue of concern
  • Finding out what has been tried so far
  • Determining what services are a fit (assessment or treatment or both)
  • Early intervention strategies
  • Practical, evidence-based tools
  • Ongoing collaboration with parents

Sessions are tailored to each family’s concerns and may focus on emotional regulation, behavior management, anxiety prevention, attention skills, school readiness, or family stress.

Importantly, the child does not need a diagnosis for parent consultation to be helpful.

Why Prevention Matters in Child Development

Small Concerns Can Escalate Over Time

Developmental research shows that many mental health and learning challenges follow a gradual escalation pattern. Mild emotional dysregulation, attention difficulties, or anxiety symptoms in early childhood can predict later difficulties if not addressed (Campbell et al., 2014).

Longitudinal studies demonstrate that early externalizing and internalizing behaviors are associated with:

  • Academic underachievement
  • Peer relationship difficulties
  • Increased risk of anxiety and mood disorders in adolescence

Parent consultation acts as an early interruption, helping families respond before these patterns solidify.

The Long-Term Cost of “Wait and See”

A “wait and see” approach is common, but not always neutral. Research indicates that delayed intervention often leads to:

  • More complex clinical presentations
  • Higher family stress and conflict
  • Increased need for intensive treatment later

The World Health Organization emphasizes that early mental health promotion and prevention yield better outcomes and lower long-term costs than reactive treatment alone (WHO, 2013).

At RMPS, we regularly see how early consultation reduces the need for more intensive services down the road, and also helps parents with determining which services or directions are a fit for their child and family right now.

The Research Behind Parent Consultation as Prevention

Attachment Theory and Emotional Security

Secure attachment is one of the strongest protective factors in childhood, laying the foundation for emotional regulation, resilience, and healthy relationships across development. Pioneering work by John Bowlby demonstrated that children who experience consistent, responsive, and emotionally attuned caregiving are better able to manage stress, regulate emotions, and adapt to challenges over time. 

Parent consultation supports the development of secure attachment by helping caregivers become more attuned to their child’s emotional cues, respond with greater calm and consistency during moments of distress, and effectively repair inevitable ruptures in the parent–child relationship. These skills are especially important during periods of heightened stress or developmental transition. 

Supporting this preventative approach, a meta-analysis by Bakermans-Kranenburg and colleagues (2003) found that even relatively brief, parent-focused interventions led to significant improvements in attachment security and were associated with reductions in later behavioral difficulties.

Behavioral Science and Social Learning

Many behavior concerns seen in childhood are not the result of intentional misbehavior, but rather learned patterns that develop over time through reinforcement and environmental responses. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory highlights that children learn how to behave by observing others, modeling what they see, and responding to the consequences that follow their actions. From this perspective, behavior is shaped not only by the child, but by the responses of caregivers, teachers, and the broader environment.

At Rocky Mountain Psychological Services (RMPS), parent consultation integrates principles from behavioral science to support caregivers in making small, meaningful adjustments that can lead to significant change. This includes helping parents intentionally increase positive reinforcement for adaptive behaviors, recognize and reduce unintentional reinforcement of challenging behaviors, and establish clear, consistent, and developmentally appropriate boundaries. Research strongly supports this preventative approach. Randomized controlled trials demonstrate that parent-based behavioral interventions are highly effective in reducing behavior problems and preventing escalation into oppositional or conduct-related disorders (Eyberg et al., 2008).

Brain Development and Executive Function

Neuroscience research shows that executive functioning skills, including attention, impulse control, and emotional regulation, develop rapidly throughout childhood and adolescence and play a critical role in learning, behavior, and mental health. While these skills have a biological foundation, research emphasizes that they are strongly influenced by environmental input, particularly the quality and consistency of caregiving experiences (Diamond, 2013). 

Parent consultation supports families in strengthening executive functioning by helping parents establish predictable daily routines, scaffold problem-solving and self-regulation skills, and adjust expectations to align with a child’s developmental level rather than chronological age. These proactive strategies are especially protective for children who show early signs of ADHD, anxiety, or learning differences, as they help reduce frustration, build competence, and prevent secondary emotional or behavioral difficulties from emerging over time.

When Parent Consultation Is Especially Helpful

At RMPS, families often seek parent consultation during key developmental windows, including:

Early Childhood (Ages 2–6)

  • Emotional outbursts or frequent meltdowns
  • Difficulty with transitions
  • Sleep or separation challenges
  • Early social skill concerns

Early intervention during this period has some of the strongest preventative effects (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000).

Elementary School Years

  • Attention or learning concerns
  • Anxiety related to school or performance
  • Peer relationship difficulties
  • Increasing defiance or avoidance

Parent consultation can reduce the likelihood that these challenges interfere with academic progress or self-esteem.

Adolescence

  • Emotional withdrawal or irritability
  • Increased anxiety or mood changes
  • Executive functioning difficulties
  • Parent–teen communication breakdowns

Research shows that parent involvement remains a critical protective factor during adolescence, even as teens seek greater independence (Steinberg, 2014).

Why Parent Consultation Works So Well

Parents Are the Most Consistent Influence

Therapy may occur once a week, but parenting happens every day. Research consistently shows that parent-mediated interventions have broader and longer-lasting effects than child-only treatment (Kazdin, 2005).

Parent consultation empowers caregivers to:

  • Apply strategies across settings
  • Respond consistently over time
  • Adapt approaches as children grow

It Reduces Family Stress

Parental stress is itself a risk factor for child mental health difficulties. Studies show that when parents feel more confident and supported, children demonstrate improved emotional and behavioral regulation (Neece et al., 2012).

At RMPS, parent consultation often results in:

  • Improved parent confidence
  • Reduced guilt and self-blame
  • Stronger family relationships

Parent Consultation at RMPS: A Collaborative Approach

At Rocky Mountain Psychological Services, parent consultation is:

  • Evidence-based
  • Developmentally informed
  • Individualized to each family
  • Grounded in compassion and collaboration

Our clinicians integrate research from developmental psychology, neuroscience, attachment theory, and behavioral science to provide practical, realistic guidance that fits your family’s values and circumstances.

We believe that seeking support early is not a sign of failure. It is a sign of thoughtful, proactive parenting.

Prevention Is an Investment in Your Child’s Future

Parent consultation is one of the most effective ways to support children before challenges escalate. By addressing concerns early, families can reduce long-term stress, improve outcomes, and foster resilience that lasts well beyond childhood.

At RMPS, we are proud to partner with parents as the most powerful agents of change in their child’s life, helping families move from worry to confidence, and from reaction to prevention.

References

Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2003). Less is more: Meta-analyses of sensitivity and attachment interventions. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2), 195–215.
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.
Campbell, S. B., Shaw, D. S., & Gilliom, M. (2014). Early externalizing behavior problems: Trajectories and predictors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(8), 1428–1440.
Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168.
Eyberg, S. M., Nelson, M. M., & Boggs, S. R. (2008). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents with disruptive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(1), 215–237.
Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Parent management training. Oxford University Press.
Neece, C. L., Green, S. A., & Baker, B. L. (2012). Parenting stress and child behavior problems. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 56(5), 527–538.
Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods. National Academy Press.
Steinberg, L. (2014). Age of opportunity: Lessons from the new science of adolescence. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
World Health Organization. (2013). Investing in mental health. WHO Press.

Book Appointment

MacKenzie Ebel

MacKenzie is a Psychometrist/Psychological Assistant at RMPS. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Princeton University, where she also played 4 years for the women’s ice hockey team. She recently completed her Masters in Counselling Psychology through City University of Seattle. MacKenzie has worked with children, youth, and their families in a number of settings, through coaching, as a behavioural aid, and counselling through her internship placement. She is excited to continue learning about assessment administration, neurofeedback, and play therapy practices at RMPS! Currently, she is part of the assessment and neurotherapy team, as she completes her final capstone assignment and intends to join our counselling team as a Registered Provisional Psychologist.

Tammy Thomson

Tammy is a graduate of the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP) program at Yorkville University and is trained at the master’s level in art therapy as a professional art psychotherapist and member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and families in child development settings, children’s hospitals, and schools as an early childhood educator and elementary teacher. She completed a Bachelor of Applied Science specializing in Child Development Studies at the University of Guelph, Ontario and holds a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Tammy is a member of the Canadian Counsellor and Psychotherapy Association and College of Alberta Psychologists while pursuing her next goal of registration as a provisional psychologist. Tammy values a client-centered approach using play therapy and the expressive arts to support those who may find it difficult to articulate their thoughts and feelings with words. Children and families do not need any skill or prior art experience and the art studio is a safe place where children can gain a sense of independence, greater emotional regulation, and confidence through self-exploration. Expressive interventions in art therapy can treat behavioural issues, anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, physical and developmental disabilities, and attachment difficulties. As a parent of three young children herself, Tammy understands the complexities of family life using compassion to help parents feel more confident in their role of raising a successful family.

Raquel Freitas

Raquel is an Office Administrator at RMPS. Back in Brazil, her home country, she graduated as a Psychologist and worked as a clinician for the past 5 years. Although she loved working with children and adults, she discovered a new passion: manage the administrative tasks that keep the business running. 

As someone who is passionate about learning new things and developing new skills, with the career transition also came the decision to live abroad and explore a new culture. To serve empathetically and connect with people is Raquel’s main personal and professional goal.

Emma Donnelly

Emma is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in her hometown at Brandon University, after which she moved to Calgary to earn her Master’s of Science in School and Applied Child Psychology at the University of Calgary. Emma has a passion for working with children and families and has experience doing so in a number of settings, including schools, homes, early intervention programs, and within the community. She specializes in assessment, including psychoeduational, social-emotional-behavioural, and autism assessment. Emma uses a client centred approach to counselling, supported by cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as play-based and attachment-based techniques. She believes in meeting clients where they are at and prides herself in working together with her clients to achieve their goals, improve their functioning, and enjoy their daily life.

Amanda Stoner

Amanda is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Amanda earned her doctoral degree in Psychology at Brock University in Ontario in 2017, with a specialization in developmental psychology. Amanda provides formal assessment services at RMPS. 

Since 2009, Amanda has received formal training and work experience in private practice settings in conducting psycho-educational assessments for students ranging from preschool through university. Amanda is skilled at test administration, interpretation of data, and report writing for various referral questions including ADHD, Learning Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety, Giftedness, and Intellectual Disabilities. Amanda enjoys working with people of all ages from diverse backgrounds, and she tries to make the testing environment feel relaxed and comfortable while maintaining integrity in testing protocol.

Denise Riewe

Denise has completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences through the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Counselling with Athabasca University. She is a Registered Provisional Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists and a member of the Psychological Association of Alberta. Denise has over 9 years of experience supporting children, youth and their families in both residential and community-based practices. Denise is experienced in working with high and at-risk youth, supporting children and their families with strength-based approaches. She practices from a client-center approach supported by Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Theraplay, and other play and art-based modalities.

John Pynn

John is a Registered Provisional Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. He completed his Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology at Yorkville University. He brings more than 20 years of experience working with children, teens, and families in a variety of settings. He brings a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere to sessions. John uses an integrated counselling approach including client-centred, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focussed therapy (SFT) to find the best-fit for clients. He has experience with a variety of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, anger, self-
esteem, relationships, parenting, ADHD, grief/loss, addictions, and trauma. This broad experience comes from working in schools, social service agencies, group-care, and clinical settings. He also draws from the practical experience of being a parent to two teenagers as well as a husband. Supporting and empowering clients with mental health concerns is something John genuinely enjoys. John also provides counselling for adults and holds a Gottman level 1 certification for couples therapy.

Zara Crasto

Zara is a Psychometrist/Psychological Assistant at RMPS. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Calgary and her Graduate Diploma in Psychological Assessment at Concordia University of Edmonton. 

Zara has spent over five years working alongside children, adolescents, and their families in a variety of settings. These include public and private schools, in-home support, residential programs, early-intervention programs, and non-profit organizations. Currently, Zara is part of the assessment and neurotherapy team. As a lifelong learner, Zara plans to go back to graduate school and eventually become a psychologist one day.

Kellie Lanktree

Kellie is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists. She completed a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care with the University of Victoria and a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology through the University of Lethbridge. Kellie has over 10 years experience supporting children and youth with developmental disorders/delays and their families. Kellie has experience working in schools, clinical settings, and within homes to provide support and therapeutic interventions. Through her time at RMPS, Kellie has also gained experience in helping individuals affected by trauma, grief/loss, separations, emotional dysregulation, depression, and anxiety. Kellie practices through developmental, attachment-based and trauma-informed lenses, and draws from a variety of play-based approaches such as Synergetic Play Therapy, Child-centered play therapy, DIR/Floortime, art-based mediums, and mindfulness-based practices. Kellie also provides Neurofeedback therapy, and is working on receiving her certification through BCIA. Kellie believes in meeting children and their families where they are at and that there is no “one size fits all” for therapy.