Aware Parenting is an attachment-style of parenting developed by Swiss-American developmental psychologist Dr Aletha Solter (The Aware Parenting Institute) in the 1980’s, and is supported by research in attachment, child development, neurobiology, trauma, psychotherapy and education.

Before completing her PHD, Dr Solter studied with world-renowned developmental psychologist and pioneer in child development Dr. Jean Piaget in Switzerland. In 1990, she founded The Aware Parenting Institute, an international organization with certified instructors in 24 countries who are supporting families all over the world. Dr Solter has written 6 books which have been translated into many languages, and is internationally recognised as an expert on attachment, trauma and non-punitive discipline.

Aware Parenting is based on 3 core tenets. These are:

Attachment style parenting - close attunement and prompt responsiveness to children’s needs, prioritisation of physical closeness to create safety and connection in the parent-child relationship.

Non-punitive discipline - rather than using punishments and rewards to control children’s behaviour, the underlying needs, thoughts or feelings contributing to their behaviour are addressed. There’s also a prioritisation of respectful communication and a striving to meet everyone in the family’s needs through peaceful conflict resolution.

Supporting children to heal through emotional release - recognition that children's unenjoyable behaviour and tears and tantrums are always underscored by unmet needs or accumulated feelings, and that releasing stress though crying (in our loving presence) and laughing (illicited by particular types of play) are powerful, innate healing mechanisms that support us all to heal.

Learn more here: What is Aware Parenting? What Does it Mean to Consciously Raise our Children? - Aware Parenting with Joss

Is Aware Parenting the right fit for your family?

Are you clear that authoritarian parenting doesn’t align with your values but permissive parenting doesn’t feel right either? Well, there is a third way, and it’s called Aware Parenting!

Do you want to feel more flow and ease in your family?

Is a safe and loving attachment with your children your priority, but you still want to have boundaries and limits in your home?

Are you yearning for more presence, fun and connection with your kids but don’t know where to start?

Do you sometimes feel desperate when your baby cries, doing what ever you can to fix or stop the tears, but sense this is impacting your connection with them?

Does bedtime feel like a battle, with your baby or child seeming to ‘fight’ sleep even though they’re clearly tired?

Do you feel a resistance to leave your baby to ‘cry it out’ but also resentment about being up all night feeding them back to sleep at every wake?

Are you at your wits end when your toddler isn’t cooperating, but don’t feel aligned with time out, punishments or rewards and don’t know what else to do?

Do you often feel triggered by your parenting struggles and want to unpack what’s going on for you in those moments?

Would you like to be heard, seen and held with love and compassion as you explore the parenting challenges you’re facing?

If these questions resonate and you feel called to dive in, I invite you to book a session!

I support parents of children of any age, but I'm especially passionate about working with parents of babies and toddlers, as this is the space I've worked in for two decades!

What to expect in a session:

​Aware Parenting support sessions are an opportunity for you to share your parenting challenges and be heard and held with empathy and compassion. I will offer deep listening and presence, and invite you to lean in, get curious, and explore what’s underlying the challenges you’re experiencing, including imprints from your own childhood. The intensity of pregnancy, birth and parenting can often uncover these patterns from our younger years - sometimes in helpful ways and sometimes in not-so-helpful ways. Together we will explore tangible and practical ways you can support your family to move through the challenges you’re facing, with an Aware Parenting lens.

After booking in, I’ll send you a questionnaire to complete prior to the session. This is an opportunity for me to learn about how I can best support you during our time together and will guide our conversation.

My personal journey with Aware Parenting:

I discovered Aware Parenting in 2020, prior to becoming a mother myself, and read various blogs/online articles, and listened to many podcasts episodes about the approach, but it wasn't until my daughter was born in 2021 that I actually read The Aware Baby by Dr Aletha Solter, which completely changed my life. My partner and I have been practicing Aware Parenting with our daughter since her birth in 2021, and I cannot even begin to imagine our lives without this beautiful philosophy and way of being in the world - it's affected every aspect of our lives.

In 2024, I became a certified Aware Parenting instructor after 9 months of study, hundreds of hours of listening/watching/journaling and countless conversations with fellow students and the brilliant Marion Rose PHD, who was our mentor and guide, reflecting on our learning. It’s been a time of deep inner work and excavation of the self which has been absolutely life changing for me and for my family! I’m really enjoying weaving Aware Parenting philosophy into the support I offer families - it aligns so beautifully with the trauma-informed, strengths-based approach I’ve always had in my work. With over 20 years of experience supporting families, I have a deep trust in the wisdom of the body, and a strong belief in the healing power of sharing stories - that when we are heard, held and honoured, we all have the innate ability to heal. Aware Parenting feels like the final piece of the puzzle I’ve been searching for - it fits perfectly with everything I’ve always known and believed about parenting and life in general.

I support parents of children of any age, but I'm especially passionate about working with parents of babies and toddlers, as this is the space I've worked in for two decades!

Hear more about my personal journey with Aware Parenting here, in my conversation with Joss on The Aware Parenting Stories podcast! You can listen to it here.

Are you ready to jump in?