When adults communicate clearly, self-regulate consistently and work from the same relational foundation, students feel safer, behave better and learn more effectively. I help international schools strengthen the adult relationships that shape every child’s experience - teacher to teacher, teacher to parent, leadership to staff and adult to student.
Parent coaching isn’t just for parents. It’s much bigger than that. It’s an evidence-based, relational approach that equips adults in a child's life to respond rather than react to children. To approach behaviours with curiosity rather than judgement, empathy rather than frustration and calmness rather than escalation. In summary, this approach builds relational coherence across every adult in a child’s world - creating consistent emotional safety, fostering a sense of belonging and embedding safeguarding into everyday practice. When adults are aligned, regulated and responsive, children can thrive academically, socially and emotionally, at school, at home and online.
UNICEF (2021) and WHO (2020) are clear: a child’s emotional world shapes their lifelong outcomes. Schools see this daily. Where emotional safety is prioritised, behaviour improves, engagement rises and safeguarding incidents decrease. Academic progress follows naturally.
Yet, across international schools, a quiet tension persists. Teachers and counsellors are increasingly asked to manage behaviour, anxiety and wellbeing concerns that begin and often extend far beyond the classroom. Parents, meanwhile, are often unsure how to translate school values into their home life. The result is not resistance, but a relational gap. A missing link between what school policy legislates for, what support is provided for the wellbeing of the adults within the community and what families can effectively implement at home.
It means ensuring that every adult surrounding a child - at home, in school and online - speaks a shared emotional language rooted in safety, empathy and responsibility. This is where my work begins.
Parent coaching isn't just for parents. It's much bigger than that. It's an evidence-based, relational approach that equips adults in a child's life to respond rather than react to children. To approach behaviours with curiosity rather than judgement, empathy rather than frustration and calmness rather than escalation.
The intention is to coach adults to: Better understand the drivers of behaviours in children and other adults; to aid them in better regulating their own nervous system; and to be able to communicate in trustworthy ways that enable a school to embed a culture of connection across all its work. This is about augmenting the training, skills and natural talents that most teachers already hold and giving them a framework to turn their theoretical training and rich experience into action.
I help international schools create a cohesive adult ecosystem so children experience consistent emotional safety and clear boundaries. When schools work with me:
Classrooms are calmer and more predictable
Teachers feel supported, confident, less stressed and are less prone to burn out
Parents reinforce school values at home and become true partners
Children develop self-regulation, resilience and socio-emotional skills
Safeguarding, SEL and behaviour policies become actionable and visibly and positively influence adult and student behaviour in and outside of school
The effects of this work are felt far beyond the improved teaching and learning that happens in classrooms.
Think of it as concentric circles of influence:
Core: Strong, healthy and well regulated adult-adult relationships in a school community lead to strong parent-child and parent-teacher connection. The synergistic effect of these relationships means children feel safe, seen and supported.
Next layer: These children develop socio-emotional skills, regulate their emotions more effectively and engage more positively with peers and learning.
Classroom layer: Improved student behaviour and engagement not only improve learning outcomes but also lift the classroom climate, making teachers feel supported, motivated and less likely to burn out.
Whole-school layer: Positive culture spreads across the school, enhancing wellbeing, strengthening safeguarding and improving all outcomes which ultimately will increase staff retention and student enrolment.
Each layer feeds into the next, creating a self-reinforcing cycle where wellbeing, safeguarding and connection become embedded across the school community.
Across school systems worldwide, research shows students’ sense of school connectedness is declining. Studies from Finland to the United States indicate weaker relationships with teachers and lower feelings of belonging, while large-scale surveys in the US, UK and Asia report rising anxiety, loneliness and digital overuse. Research across England, Spain and China points to a common root cause: When adult-child relationships weaken, learning, motivation and healthy risk-taking suffer.
For international schools, these pressures are amplified by mobility, cultural transitions, diverse student populations and fragmented support systems. Students often navigate multiple worlds without consistent adult anchors, emotional relatability leading to increased stress and uncertainty.
Teaching in international schools carries unique burdens: Frequent relocations, cultural transitions, diverse student needs and expectations far beyond academic instruction. Research indicates that many international‑school teachers report high stress, emotional exhaustion and even contemplate leaving the profession.
The expanded role from academic instructor to emotional supporter, behaviour manager, SEL deliverer and parent communicator demands emotional labour many educators are neither trained for nor supported in. Without consistent adult alignment and a relational framework, teachers often feel isolated, ineffective and uncertain whether their efforts are making a difference.
Parents in international schools are highly motivated, culturally diverse and often stretched across multiple priorities. They navigate complex cultural landscapes, balancing the values and expectations of their home countries with those of the host community and the school. Many are transient, seeking to build connection and belonging while their children adapt to new peers, curricula and environments. High-achieving parents place extraordinary value on education, striving not only for academic success but also to break generational patterns or provide opportunities they themselves may not have had.
Misalignment between home and school is rarely about intent - it emerges from the gap between expectations and capacity. Inconsistent routines, differing boundaries and varied emotional approaches leave children to adapt across home, school and online spaces, often without a coherent sense of safety or guidance. Bridging this relational and structural gap is critical: Aligned, emotionally attuned adults at home and at school give children the stability and emotional safety that they need to thrive.
Safety isn’t just about policies - it’s about relationships. Relational coherence (emotionally regulated, attuned, consistent adults across a child’s life) allows schools and families to prevent many risks before they arise. Research shows children with stable, supportive adult relationships are less likely to experience neglect, emotional dysregulation, or risky behaviours (UNICEF, 2021). Inconsistent adult responses, by contrast, correlate with behavioural challenges, unsafe choices and anxiety.
For international schools, mobility, staff turnover and cultural diversity heighten these risks. A 2024 UNESCO survey found 62% of international secondary students had lived in more than one country by age 14, with many reporting feeling like a “different person” in different contexts. Digital exposure further amplifies vulnerability when adult alignment is lacking. Effective safeguarding relies on adults who model regulation, maintain presence and provide consistent care across home and school. This relational foundation is essential for international schools, where transitions and diversity make adult alignment critical to student wellbeing and safety.
Leading international accreditation bodies make wellbeing and safeguarding inseparable from quality education. The IB embeds social and emotional learning in its core standards, CIS emphasises emotional safety alongside academic quality, COBIS calls for self-regulation and healthy peer relationships at every school layer, ISASA highlights supportive adult-student relationships and NEASC requires demonstrable commitment to each student’s wellbeing and sense of belonging. Schools cannot meet these standards or implement SEL and safeguarding effectively without consistent, aligned adult relationships. Every day without shared relational coherence risks fractured communication, disengaged parents, classroom disruption and students experiencing stress and inconsistency.
Bringing parent coaching insights into schools isn’t about introducing a new program. It’s about enhancing the way educators already interact with each other, students and families. It shifts the focus from reactive management to consistently proactive, relational practice.
The foundation of effective learning is a secure emotional environment - what Maslow would describe as the second level of his hierarchy: Safety and security. Students cannot focus, engage or thrive if they feel unsafe, anxious or misunderstood. Parent coaching focuses on cultivating the skills and art of emotional intelligence, connection and safety. Teachers use these on a daily basis in their classroom and, in doing so model healthy emotional expression, self regulation and connectedness to their students. Educators excel in this aspect when they are able to recognise and respond to the emotions underlying student behaviour rather than reacting with punishment or frustration. Coaching builds adult capacity to pause, observe and respond with curiosity and empathy. These adult responses help children internalise a sense of safety and emotional security, which in turn creates calmer, more resilient classrooms where learning can flourish.
Discipline is often misunderstood as enforcement, but Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development reminds us that children learn best with scaffolded support that takes them just beyond what they can manage alone. Applying parent coaching principles in the classroom allows educators to reframe discipline as teaching: Guiding children to take responsibility while maintaining dignity. Mistakes become learning opportunities, and challenging moments are chances to build problem-solving skills, emotional awareness and self-regulation. Classrooms transform into spaces of respect, mutual understanding and constructive growth, where educators provide the right support at the right moment to help students reach their next level of development.
Research from Pianta and Hamre underscores the critical role of adult relationships in supporting student outcomes - both in the classroom and at home. When teachers apply coaching techniques (reflective listening, empathetic questioning and validating experiences) they foster psychologically safe and constructive dialogue with parents. These conversations go beyond information-sharing; they create true partnerships where parents feel heard, supported and motivated. The result is coherent guidance across home and school, reducing misalignment, reinforcing socio-emotional skills and helping children internalise consistent expectations. Strong parent–teacher relationships aren’t just “nice to have” - they directly enhance engagement, wellbeing and learning outcomes.
Fewer crisis-driven decisions and less time spent in emotional firefighting.
The school operates from a shared relational framework where belonging and psychological safety are built into daily practice.
Staff aligned around consistent relational and behavioural expectations.
Policies implemented reliably because adults use the same language and approach.
Behaviour and safeguarding conversations become predictable, calm and evidence-based.
Greater trust from staff and parents, leading to smoother communication and fewer escalations.
Clear, repeatable strategies for responding to behaviour without escalating it.
More emotionally settled classrooms and quicker recovery after incidents.
Reduced stress from parent conversations and stronger home–school partnership.
Increased confidence in managing dysregulation, conflict and safeguarding concerns.
Improved learning thanks to classroom environments where calm, curiosity and a genuine sense of belonging allow students to think, take risks and stay engaged.
A clear understanding of how to support the school’s expectations at home.
Less defensiveness and anxiety during school communication.
Better consistency with routines, boundaries and emotional regulation.
Conversations between school and home are grounded in partnership rather than judgement.
A faster development of belonging, driven by a shared emotional language between home and school that helps children feel understood, regulated and safe across both environments.
Predictable adult behaviour across environments, boosting wellbeing, security and a sense of belonging.
Improved emotional regulation, resilience and readiness to learn.
Safer peer interactions, more stable behaviour patterns and increased trust in adults to support them when problems arise.
A coherent sense of belonging, academically, socially and emotionally.
Internalised strategies for managing conflict, setbacks, and transitions across school, home and digital spaces.
Adults step fully into their capacity: regulated, authentic and aligned. Children feel safe because of it, learning not just knowledge but how to self-regulate, take responsibility and engage meaningfully with peers and the wider community. Across the school, this builds a culture of connection where wellbeing, behaviour and learning reinforce one another naturally.
This is a transformational shift. Adult alignment drives calmer classrooms, stronger family partnerships and students who are resilient, secure and ready to thrive. Every adult who masters these skills becomes a catalyst for systemic change, embedding emotional safety and connection at the heart of school life.
Imagine a truly family- and community-centred school: Recognised locally and internationally for prioritising student achievement through wellbeing and safeguarding, and for harnessing the ripple effects of genuine collaboration between school, child and parent.
My work is relational, practical and embedded in the day-to-day life of international schools. Whether I’m supporting a Year 4 teacher with complex classroom dynamics, guiding leaders through challenging parent feedback, or coaching families at home, the goal is the same: Stronger adult relationships and consistent relational practice that create emotionally safe, regulated environments for children.
Observe and coach in real time to help teachers notice emotional cues and respond calmly instead of reacting.
Model co-regulation strategies to demonstrate how to guide students through meltdowns or frustration.
Embed SEL naturally into everyday routines, turning transitions, circle time, or group tasks into micro-moments of self-regulation learning through simple strategies like my 4 Ps of Safeguarding Framework.
Reflective practice sessions to review tricky situations and explore curiosity-led responses.
Role-play parent and student interactions to build confidence and consistency in language and approach.
Introduce frameworks and tools, such as the 3Rs Presence Framework, for predictable, aligned responses.
Facilitate interactive workshops and parent circles to teach emotional regulation, boundaries and school-home consistency.
Share practical home strategies to establish routines, manage tech limits and reinforce school values.
Build shared language between home and school to strengthen emotional safety, belonging and connection.
Serve as the school’s designated parent coach for referred families including collaborative planning for students with behavioural or emotional challenges, creating individualised strategies and long-term support pathways that align parents and school teams.
Conduct audits and provide feedback to identify inconsistencies in adult-adult and adult-child interactions.
Lead workshops on modelling regulation to embed emotional safety in policy, routines and communications.
Support sustained relational consistency so that relational practice becomes the default across the school.
I’m Anthi - an international school alumna, former teacher and socio emotional leader and internationally-certified master parent coach. I help international schools and globally mobile families align their adult-adult and adult-child relationships so students thrive emotionally, socially and academically.
Growing up across cultures and attending an international school in my home country, I experienced firsthand both the richness and the challenges of life between worlds. Identity and belonging often felt nebulous, and those experiences now shape the way I support schools, students and parents navigating their own global journeys.
Professionally, I’ve spent over 25 years in education: Researching; teaching; leading pastoral care; and training staff across more than 25 countries. I hold a PGCE in Secondary Science Education; a Masters in Education; a Certificate of International School Leadership from the PTC; and I am an internationally-certified master parent coach. This combination of varied and deep school experience and parent coaching expertise is rare: I understand both the systems that support children and the relational skills adults need to make those systems function effectively.
My work focuses on strengthening adult relational capacity so that teachers, leader and parents are aligned, emotionally regulated and able to create coherent, emotionally safe environments for students. By bridging the gaps between home and school, I help educators implement wellbeing, safeguarding and SEL initiatives in ways that actually stick. The result is calmer classrooms, stronger parent-school partnerships and children who feel secure, supported and ready to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.
I work with schools as a Whole-School Relationships and Connection Coach to build cultures where connection, consistency and compassion are embedded at every level so adult alignment drives systemic change and schools can deliver on their mission to educate, safeguard and nurture children in a truly international context.
[Anthi's] "warm, authentic delivery and practical, research-based insights made for an engaging and empowering session. It was a truly valuable experience that supported the school’s commitment to raising kind, responsible and self-aware children in partnership with parents and our commitment to strengthen the whole school approach to student wellbeing."
Deputy Head Pastoral, Prep School - Durham International School, Nairobi, Kenya
"Anthi’s sessions empowered our parents and the sessions were extremely well received by all of the mums and dads that attended them. Full of opportunities to learn and reflect, the interactive sessions engaged all participants and as they left, the positive vibes were evident.
Looking to make an impact on child/parent wellbeing and safeguarding? Get in touch with Anthi!!! I highly recommend Anthi’s courses for both parents and practitioners. Thank you, Anthi, for your incredible sessions and support!"
Headteacher - Kyuna Kindergarten, Nairobi, Kenya
"Anthi's parent talks here at Braeburn Garden Estate School focused on supporting students who are dealing with academic overwhelm. The parents and myself were in complete awe of Anthi's genuineness, giving us the facts, as well as coming in with compassion, validation and creating a sense of normalcy as parents face and try to support their children, while making mistakes, fumbling and even correcting themselves. Parents were vulnerable enough to ask tough questions, and Anthi continued to respond with empathy and kindness. One parent said this is exactly what we needed! I couldn't agree more. We need professionals like Anthi who are dedicated to supporting, coaching and holding the hand of parents so that our wellbeing work at school continues seamlessly at home."
Whole Site School Counsellor - Braeburn Garden Estate, Nairobi, Kenya
Delivered a series of parent and staff workshops over an 18 month period including work on: The Three Steps to Emotionally Intelligent Children and Managing Tantrums.
Outcome: Parents reported greater confidence and reduced stress in responding to challenging behaviour; students developed foundational socio-emotional skills and resilience.
A long-term referral framework was established to ensure continuity of support for both parents and staff, strengthening alignment between home and school.
Designed and led a parent forum focused on emotional wellbeing and resilience. Using the 4 Ps framework and Read-Reflect-Redirect approach, parents were guided to shift from control-based strategies to emotionally attuned, responsive approaches.
Outcome: Parents reported greater confidence in managing challenging situations; several were able to reflect on their parenting and seek further support; the school reported easier engagement with their parent population.
The school established a long-term referral system, ensuring ongoing support for families who wanted deeper coaching beyond the workshop.
Delivered a multi-session workshop programme addressing academic overwhelm and emotional regulation. The sessions integrated parent coaching and reflective exercises for parents to apply school values at home.
Outcome: Improved consistency between home and school, resulting in calmer parent-child interactions and a common language around emotional wellbeing between school counsellors and parents.
No. While parent coaching principles are central, the program is designed to support all adults in a child’s life - teachers, school leaders and families. The focus is on relational practice, alignment and emotional safety across home and school environments.
All sessions are embedded in the school day where possible. This includes real-time coaching, reflective practice and brief in-class interventions. The goal is to enhance teachers’ existing skills, not pull them away from teaching.
You’ll notice shifts in adult behaviour and confidence quickly. Within just 30 days of working with me 100% of adults report changes in the way that they interact with children. Changes in student behaviour, engagement and emotional regulation emerge often as quickly as 60 days after the start of intervention. Continued improvement is expected as relational consistency becomes embedded across adults in the school.
Yes. The principles are flexible and applicable across age groups. Sessions are tailored to the developmental needs of students and the specific dynamics of each school community.
Parent engagement is framed as partnership rather than additional work. Workshops and coaching sessions are practical, time-efficient and actionable, giving parents tools to reinforce school values without adding stress. And in my experience, parents are desperate for support, advice and information that aligns with their needs and speaks directly to them in a supportive and empathetic manner.
Absolutely not. This program complements existing frameworks, helping adults implement them consistently and relationally. It strengthens the impact of policies and programs by ensuring adults are speaking the same emotional language.
Sessions are scalable. I offer whole-school workshops, small group coaching and one-on-one support. Each session is designed to maximise impact and engagement, whether it’s a team of 5 or 50+ participants.
Primarily through changes in adult confidence, relational alignment and their ability to respond rather than react to children, feedback, conflict, etc. Feedback from teachers, parents and leaders, combined with observable shifts in student wellbeing, behaviour and engagement, provide clear evidence of impact.
The work I offer is tailored to your school's needs. So if remote delivery works best for you and your community that is fine with me and would offer solid results. That said, a hybrid approach is far more effective with some face to face work at the beginning to build rapport and connection. I deeply believe in living my work and connection in person can often be much richer and productive than remote connection. That said, I coach all of my private parent clients remotely and have only met a handful of them face to face.
Simply reach out via email. We’ll discuss your school’s unique context, goals and challenges, then design a programme tailored to your school ecosystem, ensuring maximum impact for your students.