Parent Coaching & Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)

  • Parent coaching is powerful in that we hear from you about your family experiences on the ground, identify both immediate goals and visions for the future, and help you define supports, strategies, and communication styles that can improve your quality of life as a family, using relationship-based approaches.

    When engaged in parent coaching, we pull from our knowledge base and experiences across a range of clinical ideas and strategies. These include RDI, declarative language & co-regulation, interoception, PDA and Neurodiversity Affirming practices, trauma informed practices, sensory processing considerations, Collaborative Proactive Solutions (Ross Greene), and more.

    Parent coaching sessions can be scheduled on an as needed basis. Some families request to meet regularly - for example, weekly or monthly - while others reach out to check in and gain help when wanting to trouble shoot something specific.

    Sessions can take place either in person or over telehealth.

    Cost is $120/hour

  • Parent coaching is powerful in that we hear from you about your family experiences on the ground and help you define supports strategies and communication styles to improve your quality of life as a family, and meet your family goals.

    When parent coaching, we use knowledge and ideas from a range of sources including RDI concepts, PDA Affriming Approaches, Neurodiversity Affirming Approaches, and

    RDI, or Relationship Development Intervention®, is a family-centered approach that fosters an individual’s growth across areas including flexibility, resilience, sharing of memories, curiosity about another person's thoughts and feelings, engagement in reciprocal conversations and interactions and attunement with nonverbal communication, by focusing first and foremost on relationship development between the individual and caregivers. This approach addresses the core developmental areas at the heart of social connection.

  • Parents work closely with Linda Murphy or Lizz Ramirez, our two RDI Consultants (and currently the one two in Massachusetts!) to carefully introduce challenges, add variations, give their learner greater social responsibility, and give their learner opportunities to make adjustments within an interaction moment to moment. As individuals become more competent at adjusting to change, their resilience increases, as does their desire for continued challenges and dynamic interactions. This approach, developed by Dr. Steve Gutstein and Dr. Rachelle Sheely, is based on research in social cognitive development.

    Starting out, families typically meet with their RDI Consultant twice a month either in person or remotely. Between consultation sessions, families work through homework assignments that are developed with their family and learner in mind. RDI uses video clips, audio clips and written anecdotes and reflections of parent/child or caregiver/learner interactions to monitor progress, to demonstrate how to guide a learner in a certain area, and to teach through parent reflection and discussion.

    Because RDI is future-focused, it offers families hope. We work toward improved quality of life for your learner and family in the long term, whatever that means for each family. With RDI, parents find they become increasingly thoughtful in their day-to-day interactions with their learner, become empowered, and begin to realize the important role they can play in their learners’ social development

  • We offer informational presentations on RDI to help parents and medical professionals understand how this therapy effectively addresses and strengthens social competence and relationships. We also meet with families individually. Contact our office by phone or email to set up an in person appointment, or schedule a phone intake.

  • We encourage you to visit www.rdiconnect.com for more detailed information on the RDI program.

An adult and child at a therapy table with lots of clear tubs with items inside them on the table. There is a kids blue chair and monitor in the background.

Parent Coaching

  • These sessions are designed to assist parents to become effective and confident communication partners with their child in order to facilitate language development and foster a social relationship between parents and child. Using a combination of developmental approaches, including Natural Language Acquisition, and relationship based approaches, you will learn how to engage your child to promote social learning development. Sessions are currently held through telehealth. This provides an opportunity to work in your natural environment while being coached.

    Families who participate in these sessions will develop strategies to help their child acquire the executive functioning skills to assist them in their social learning. Children will become more independent, confident, and competent learners and parents will feel empowered to guide their children.

  • Virtual consultation with parents and caregivers of twins is meant to empower parents to feel more confident to provide the emotional and developmental support that each individual child needs. Consultations can be ongoing or on an as needed basis.

    Parenting twins is a wholly different experience than parenting a single child. Our team member, Tali Woodbury, has extensive experience working with twins with developmental differences. She also grew up as the sister to identical twin girls and is raising identical twins boys who are now in their teens.

A child sits on an adults lap and another adult sits in front of them holding a kids book to show the child.

Our Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) / Parent Coaching Team

  • Linda Murphy is smiling at the camera and is wearing a blue top. She has long grey hair and is wearing glasses. The photo is taken outside with the sky in the background.

    Linda Murphy M.S., CCC-SLP, CEIS

    RDI Consultant

  • Lizz is standing outside with blue sky in the background. She is smiling at the camera and has long brown straight hair and is wearing glasses. She is wearing a black top and grey cardigan. She is smiling at the camera.

    Lizz Ramirez B.A.

    RDI Consultant