Lora Ferguson, MA, LPC-S

s mom to two elementary-aged children, I have found parenting to be both the most rewarding and the most challenging part of my life journey. I love my kids with every part of my being, and yet sometimes I can’t wait to get away from them for a quiet moment to myself (or a week -long vacation if I’m lucky). If you are a parent reading this, I understand this polarity you experience and I have been there many times! We need the support of other parents to truly feel that we aren’t alone.

I found my way to Positive Discipline first as a Licensed Professional Counselor working with teens and their parents back in 2008. I love using the tools and concepts of PD to help families grow closer through encouragement, contribution, and mutual respect. I find that helping parents focus on the long term goals they have for their children (that they are kind, generous, thoughtful, resilient, balanced, and so on) allow parents to relax and breathe into the process of nurturing their relationship with their child. And most importantly, they are able to slowly let go of controlling their child’s behavior and refocusing on controlling their own behavior so they can be a powerful influence.

I use PD in both a private counseling setting in my work at Austin Family Counseling, and through workshops with parents and caregivers in the community. I have done PD workshops in preschools, elementary schools, churches, non-profit agencies, and correctional institutes. I love sharing PD with parents and caregivers, educators, business leaders, direct care workers and anyone who wants to be better at relationships. Please contact me if you want to learn more about bringing Positive Discipline to your group or family!