Parent Strong is a place built by parents for parents. You will find a safe space to discuss what it’s like to parent kids with the toughest behaviors.
Here, we value honest, raw, truthful conversation…even when it hurts. This isn’t for experts who sit on couches. This is in-the-trenches parenting for kids who struggle to form meaningful relationships…and the families who love them.
Here are ways that we can help.
Struggling Kids…and the Families Who Love Them
Parent Strong was launched in 2020 to help parents, social workers, teachers and other caring adults to find treatment, help, and support for parents and caregivers of children with behavior and mental health challenges.
Parents we support are raising children with:
- behavior issues
- mental health diagnosis
- violent outbursts
- RAD and attachment disorders
- autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- developmental delays and intellectual disabilities (ID)
- drug and alcohol addiction
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD)
- Out-of-control behaviors
- sexualized behavior
- and others
Why We Have a Heart for What We Do
When your child has severe behavior issues, you feel isolated and alone. You may be weary and beaten down from caring for a child who is incredibly difficult.
Other people do not understand the extremely difficult situations and parenting decisions you face.
You have tried all the therapies, treatments, and programs yet your child has gotten worse instead of better. You may feel at the end of your rope. (And if you secretly have days where you hate your child, and then feel guilty for doing so, please know you are not the only one.)
You may have come to a place of realizing that for the safety of everyone in your family, and for the wellbeing of your child, he or she needs to be placed outside of your home. This isn’t a decision any parent wants to face, and yet here you are.
You may also be extremely frustrated that the places where you are supposed to find help are unable to provide you with answers. The “experts” may even try to blame you for your child’s problems.
That’s why we are here to help. We have been in your shoes and will guide you to the treatment options you need during this difficult time.
You Are Not Alone
Here, you will find helpful resources for parenting a difficult child, plus listings of specific treatments, programs, and resources most appropriate to your child’s needs. We walk you through securing help and getting the necessary funding.
Plus, we will help you care for yourself during this most difficult time.
All of this information is provided at no cost to you.
Find Treatment & Help for Children in Need
Help is some of the available help.
- Parenting Resources.
- Articles by diagnosis or behavior.
- In-home and community treatment.
- Hospitalization.
- Residential treatment.
- Real stories.
- Free downloads and printables.
Your Next Steps
How can you get the help you need?
- Comment. We would love to hear about your situation or recommendations of programs that are helpful. Parents of other special needs children are often your best resource so you’ll be helping yourself and others.
- Sign up for our email list where you will immediately receive a helpful checklist for how to find residential treatment for your child.
- Browse our site. We continually add new information for parents of kids with behavior and mental health issues.
- Click here for help finding a treatment program that is the best fit for your child’s needs.
- Need help getting funding? Residential treatment is extremely expensive and most families cannot afford to pay for it directly. Click here for information about Medicaid, insurance, and grants to pay for treatment.
- Are you exhausted and depleted? Here are resources for taking care of yourself and strategies for parenting your child.
- Need further help? Contact us here.
Why You Can Trust Us
Parent Strong is led by Sara Borgstede, a parent just like you who made the difficult parenting decisions, including placing her child into residential treatment.
Click here to read Sara’s story of how they got residential treatment (and funding for it) for her son.
She knew other parents were in similar situations and vowed to help them. She became a Family Advocate in New York and worked as a certified advocate for several years.
As an advocate, she met with families in their homes, taught parenting courses and led support groups, attended IEP meetings and court hearings, and provided empathy, encouragement, and mentoring to parents of children with mental health challenges.
In addition, she and her husband were foster parents for many years. She has experience parenting children with RAD, medical issues, genetic conditions, intellectual disabilities, developmental delay, apraxia, anxiety, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, sexualized behavior, aggressive and violent behavior, children surviving sexual abuse, and many other behavior challenges.
Now, she leads Parent Strong to help other parents.
Sara Borgstede’s Credentials
- Bachelor of Arts in Education
- Teaching certification, Grades 1-9, Elementary and Middle School
- Licensed foster parent
- Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA)
- Certified Family Advocate
- Parenting with Love and Logic – attended
- Empowered to Connect – attended
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) – attended
Business information:
Name: Parent Strong
Site: www.parentingstronger.com
Email: [email protected]
I have an autistic brother and his behavior are so bad my mom breaks down she keeps saying she wants to him and her to leave at times she just wants state to take him my step dad gets mad when he is destroying his house his behavior is that bad we can’t handle him what do we do,?
I need help, as I have been screaming this for years. my now 14 y.o son has had behaviors since 4y.o behaviors esclates. He has been diagnosed with ADHD/ODD. He has charges against him from hitting kids in school. He has been in multiple therapy for years, behavioral clinical. I have him at a behavior facility currently, to get help. It’s not helping at all his behaviors have continued to get worse. He screams at adults, breaks things, hit others can’t keep his hands to himself. The current facility is now saying I need to increase visit to help his behaviors. As I am a single mom of two. my family support also doesn’t feel like anything is being done. They facility is not holding him accountable for anything as his grades are all fs and not once did they contact me about me.. (my child has already failed 2 times) Myself and my family feel like military or boarding school is our last options. My child has state insurance. I need help, I don’t know how to pay for thr treatment he needs, or which place would be a good fit. as I have seen we don’t have hardly any of these school in Indiana.