ISABELLE ZEHNDER, CERTIFIED FAMILY COACH
    Serving parents across the nation and around the world
 
    “Isabelle has a way to get people thinking, talking, and resolving issues.”

25-years experience and expertise working with families:

·     Founder of Positive Family Solutions™ – Certified Family Coach
·     Develop one-on-one and group coaching programs for parents and teens
·     Develop parent workshops and teleclasses
·     Tutored children and teens struggling in school or with learning disabilities
·     Developed and operated after-school program for grades K-5
·     Developed and presented workshops and classes to parents, children, and teens
·     Operated a licensed infant, toddler, and preschool program  

Volunteer activities:

·     Founder and President of the Coalition Against Institutionalize Child Abuse (CAICA)
·     Developed what professionals and parents refer to as the most comprehensive
    website on the topic of institutionalized child abuse (www.caica.org)
·     Advocate, mentor, and coach to parents and victims of abuse
·     Speaking engagements for groups and organizations
·      Authored articles published in magazines, advocacy publications, and on the Internet
·     Radio appearances  
·     Served on PTA Board, helped develop parent support group and neighborhood safety program for kids
·     Volunteer in public schools, actively involved in a co-op preschool program, and volunteered in children’s
    sports and group activities 

Certifications/Education/Memberships: 

·     Certified Family Coach: Advanced family coach program through the Academy for
    Family Coach Training/New Generations International
·     Certified in the Parent as Coach™ Approach
·     Member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
·     Member of the Northwest Coaching Association (NWCA)
·     Member of TASH, received Award for Excellence for Public Service for the establishment of CAICA
·     Member of Toastmasters International
·     College of San Mateo – Legal Secretary/Paralegal Program – Deans Honor List 

Research includes: child development; child, pre-teen, and teen issues; overindulgence and hyper-parenting; divorce; blended family issues; single parenting; empty nest; marital stress; child abuse and neglect (within the family); abuse in residential programs; juvenile justice system 

Here’s my story … My twenty-five years of experience and expertise working with families, and what I learned through the process, is what brought me to coaching. Let me explain … 

My children were born in the 80’s. Having just moved to a new area I wasn’t ready to send them off to daycare. I decided to find a way to make things work so I could stay home with them. I operated a licensed infant, toddler, and preschool program based out of my home.  

As they grew I became increasingly involved in the community and in our schools. I was active in the PTA, was a member of a neighborhood safety program for children, volunteer in public schools, was actively involved in a co-op preschool program, volunteered in children’s sports and group activities, assisted in the development of a parent support group, and was asked to speak for groups and organizations. I attended every workshop I could find that focused on children and the family.  

In the 90’s I founded Positive Solutions where I developed programs and presented workshops and classes to parents, children, pre-teens, and teens. I developed and operated an after-school program for elementary aged children. I tutored children and teens with learning disabilities/difficulties or who were struggling in school.  

In the early 2000’s my world was shaken when I learned of the horrendous treatment my son’s friend (we’ll call him Josh) received when he was sent to a “behavior modification program”. The program was based in this country but run outside the US in a remote area on a Polynesian island.  

Sadly, his story is not unique and this scenario has become all too familiar.  After learning what happened to Josh I was catapulted into action. I called everyone I could think of to find out more information about this so-called “troubled teen” industry. I checked online and could find very little information. I knew I had to do something. So I took my years of legal experience (oh, I forgot to mention that I went back to school and worked as a legal secretary/paralegal) and put it to good use.  

I found about a dozen people whose kids had been abused in these programs. I couldn’t believe some of the stories I heard. I learned some kids had died as a direct result of abuse or neglect. Those people gave me names and numbers of others and before I knew it I had talked to literally hundreds of families – parents and kids!

My head was spinning and I knew that I had to do something.  So I did. I spent the next five years researching and spreading the word about what was happening to these kids. I worked with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), State Congressmen, and State Senators in an effort to regulate this largely unregulated industry.

I developed and update what government officials, advocates, lawyers, parents, media, and educators refer to as “the most comprehensive website on this issue”, www.caica.org.  

I worked directly with families, providing their lawyers the information they needed to assist in removing their children from abusive programs. I advocated for kids and their parents, and became a mentor to them.  

I spent thousands of hours on the phone, learning everything I could about what was causing parents to give up on their kids. Some parents told me they had done more research on purchasing a refrigerator than they did on finding a program for their kids.

Why? Because they felt desperate – they felt they had no where to turn and that there was no one out there that could help them. Yet when we discussed the issues that led them to send their kids away in the first place, many realized they could have resolved the issues at home. Some parents have told me, “If I knew then what I know now, I would never have sent my kid away”.   

They encouraged me to find a way to help families so that they could learn how to work through the problems rather than giving up on their child and on themselves as parents. The agony and pain of sending their kids away was almost more than they could bear at times. What they really wanted was a way to learn to cope with their “obnoxious” teens.  

I now offer one-on-one and group coaching to parents and teens, teleclasses, and workshops. I am in the process of writing a workbook that will help parents of pre-teens prepare for the teen years, and a workbook that will help parents who are already in the throws of it.

I will soon be offering a Parents Club where parents will have ongoing support from me, will participate in group coaching sessions, and will receive discounts on future workshops and teleclasses.  

Thank you for taking the time to read about me and what I have to offer. Please feel free to read what a few of my coaching clients have had to say as well as some advocacy testimonials.  I hope that I can be of service to you and your family.

Sincerely,
Isabelle Zehnder
Certified Family Coach
www.positivefamilysolutions.com
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Tel:                  (360) 723-5253
Toll Free:         (877) 835-7589