Parent Support Circle
Join the Parents’ Support Circle, our supportive community for parents and soon-to-be parents that combines the best features of online and in-person support groups, classes, and personalized professional feedback to help you have a more positive, connected, and confident journey through parenthood.
Jessica Brown, Doula, and Shannon Kovalchick, LPC, are proud to present and invite you to the Western PA Parents’ Support Circle, our supportive community for parents and soon-to-be parents. We are so happy to have you here, and can’t wait to hear about your experiences in parenthood - the fun and the challenging!
We know that positive social support is one of the most important things a parent can do for themselves and their families in the early years of parenting. We have experienced firsthand how, when done in the right setting, this can be an irreplaceable resource. They say “it takes a village” when talking about raising kids, but that kind of full community support is so difficult to find in today’s modern world, where we have more surface-level connections than ever but often lack the deeper, meaningful connections we crave and need during this time. That’s why we built this community- to be our village of meaningful encounters that help us be the best versions of ourselves and the best parents for our children.
Unlike any other support group, our support circle provides a host of services all wrapped up into one support circle:
a professionally moderated 24/7 access Discord chat server (like a private website of highly organized chat rooms)
both in-person and live video call groups led by perinatal health professionals
an updated calendar of local events for families
professionally verified local referrals and educational resources for child development and parenting
and a direct chat room to consult with a professional counselor and doula about issues without an appointment
Pricing
First Month Free
The requested price is $60 per month to cover moderation costs and the three live sessions each month.
It is possible to receive a scholarship for financial need to help cover costs- ask the counselor or doula how to apply.
What is a support group?
Support groups are places where people who are facing a similar challenge can come together to provide social and emotional support, validation, advice, ideas, and community. It is a place to learn, grow with and from others in a similar situation, and build identity as a parent and a member of the parenting community. They provide an opportunity to share firsthand experiences of challenges to decrease shame and normalize experiences. Parenting support groups are known to lead to more positive experiences of parenthood, build a stronger identity as a parent, and lower rates of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. There are multiple types of support groups varying from chat rooms, virtual video calls, in-person, professionally moderated, member-run, directed activities or undirected meet-ups, free or paid.
What are common challenges with some support groups?
While all support groups have something to offer, there are problems that can commonly occur in different types of groups.
Social media groups are easy to access but tend to be poorly moderated and have a tendency to provide less effective support in unsolicited advice or even do harm with judgmental comments from others when difficulties are shared or promote negative self-comparison if only positive experiences are shared.
Baby or child-related activities and classes are positive for early development and can help meet other parents, but the focus is on your baby rather than you, so it is not providing direct support for parents.
All in-person support groups are wonderful opportunities to grow and receive support, but sometimes it is difficult to leave the house with young children and there is little to no support between meetings.
All of these are difficult to go back and reference due to their natural lack of record-keeping or organization of posts.
Why is this space special?
This group is professionally moderated by a group counselor and doula to ensure that it remains supportive, nonjudgmental, and nurturing at this sensitive and vulnerable time. This allows you to form bonds and feel safe enough to explore difficulties in a productive way without shame.
You have access to professional feedback through our Ask a Professional channel.
You have 24/7 access to support, so you can post or catch up with peers even in odd hours of the night.
You have the support of other parents in similar stages of parenting and geographic areas for more relatability.
The forum is organized for easy navigation and future reference, so you can search and revisit past posts or specific topics whenever you want.
We host the text-based forum and virtual and in-person meet-ups that you will be welcome to attend for a diverse range of opportunities for connection. These include supportive sessions where we process our successes and challenges of parenting with each other, health sessions where we discuss and practice healthy activities together like yoga, pelvic floor exercises, or nutrition with local professionals, and baby and me play sessions where we all get out of the house for some socializing and fun.
