Who is Courtney Snyder Elhardt, M.S., M.A.?
Courtney Snyder Elhardt M.S., M.A is a child development specialist, therapist, and psychoeducator with over 20 years of experience working with children and adults in professional settings ranging from working as a teacher, to serving on staff at a children's home in South Korea, to community counseling as a resident in counseling. Courtney is also a parent/foster parent herself. She currently holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Master's degree in Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology, and a second Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health. In addition to running Elhardt Family Wellness, Courtney is a Resident in Counseling at a local non-profit.
This unique combination of education and experience allows Courtney to tailor her coaching to each individual client's specific needs and desires.
Courtney’s passion has always been to help children and families maximize their potential for growth and healing. She strives to help families do this by providing guidance to parents of children of vayring backgrounds as well as opportunities for children in the areas of growth mindset and social skills development.
When Courtney is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family and relaxes by baking cupcakes and other tasty treats. A late afternoon walk through Virginia’s beautiful foliage helps her stay healthy in more ways than one.
What we offer
Foster Parent Coaching
Trainings and Psychoeducation on Trauma, Attachment, and Sexual Abuse
Family Relationship Coaching
We help foster parents:
- Grow communication and attachment with their foster child
- Learn about psychological development and ways to support their child's social and emotional growth.
- Understand trauma and how to work with it rather than against it
- Help parents identify goals, create boundaries and maintain consistency in order to provide a healing environment
- Identify calm and effective discipline that does not involve yelling, threatening, or physical discipline
- Help foster parents regulate their own emotions and create healthy coping tools for themselves
- Understand the foster care system and resources available to them
Family Relationship Coaching
Trainings and Psychoeducation on Trauma, Attachment, and Sexual Abuse
Family Relationship Coaching
We help parents through strategies that:
- Grow communication and connection with their child
- Help parents identify goals, create boundaries and maintain consistency
- Identify calm and effective discipline that does not involve yelling, threatening, or physical discipline.
- Learn about psychological development and ways to support their child's social and emotional growth.
- Help parents recognize and break patterns of unhelpful behaviors from their own childhood.
- Help parents learn to regulate their own emotions and create healthy coping tools for themselves
Trainings and Psychoeducation on Trauma, Attachment, and Sexual Abuse
Trainings and Psychoeducation on Trauma, Attachment, and Sexual Abuse
Trainings and Psychoeducation on Trauma, Attachment, and Sexual Abuse
Is your organization interested in booking a training related to foster care, trauma, attachment or sexual abuse?
If so, please email:
celhardt@elhardtfamilywellness.com
We provide trainings for foster care agencies, hospitals, schools, churches and more.
Growth Mindset Classes
Foster Parent Resources
Trainings and Psychoeducation on Trauma, Attachment, and Sexual Abuse
With a growth mindset, we learn about the amazing power that the brain has to change its self and grow. Even young children are able to comprehend on a basic level the idea of neuroplasticity and learn to take ownership of their attitudes towards growth. We do this through education as well as practicing by considering real-life situations that the child faces.
We currently offer one-on-one sessions with children to explore social skills and/or growth mindset.
How can parents help encourage their child learn to have a growth mindset?
- Be aware of your own mindset and what you are communicating to your child by your words and actions.
- Model a growth mindset for your child. This means embracing mistakes as a chance to learn and grow. While many grown up mistakes may be too complicated to use for a child, take advantage of little moments.
- Encourage your child’s effort, rather than praising them for being smart. A child who is praised for trying and putting in effort will want to continue to try and grow.
FAQs
Foster Parent Resources
Foster Parent Resources
Are counseling and coaching the same thing?
While there can be some overlap, coaching and counseling are not the same thing. With coaching, the client (parents) come to me with specific goals or directions that they would like to work towards. My job is to help you refine those goals, identify strategies to work towards them, and encourage you to take the steps to reach them. My job is to lend an ear, be a sounding board, and offer research-based strategies to solve common parenting challenges.
If I identify an issue that is beyond the scope of what I can ethically offer as a psychoeducator, I will refer a potential client to the organization through which I can offer clinical mental health counseling services as a resident in counseling, or to another therapist.
Foster Parent Resources
Foster Parent Resources
Foster Parent Resources
COMING SOON