Online Parenting Classes & Family Therapy in Garden City, KS

Garden City is one of the most genuinely diverse communities in the state of Kansas, and the families who reach New Connections Mental Health from Finney County bring with them an extraordinary range of backgrounds, languages, and frameworks for what family means. Parenting classes in Garden City, Kansas are built to meet all of them—not by flattening those differences but by offering something that holds across every cultural context: a deeper understanding of what children communicate through their behavior and how parents can respond to that communication in ways that strengthen the relationship.


Finney County occupies the high plains of southwest Kansas along the Arkansas River, and Garden City has grown into a city that holds far more complexity than its geography might suggest. Finnup Park and Lee Richardson Zoo anchor the community's public life, Garden City Community College draws students from across the region, and the meatpacking industry that shaped the city's economy has made its population one of the most ethnically diverse in the state—with large Latino and Somali communities that have built genuine roots here. Nearby Holcomb carries its own history, and families across the corridor from Ulysses to Liberal share a southwest Kansas identity shaped by hard work and wide horizons. Virtual sessions through New Connections reach all of them, with in-person appointments available at 2810 Plaza Avenue in Hays.


The particular challenge of parenting in a community as culturally layered as Garden City is that the usual sources of parenting support often reflect only one cultural context. Families navigating immigrant experience, language transition, and the particular loneliness of building a life far from extended family need something more universal. The CPRT model at the core of New Connections is grounded in the parent-child relationship itself—not in any particular cultural script—which is why it works across the diversity that defines this community. Families who enroll in parenting classes in Garden City, Kansas consistently describe finding something they did not expect: a program that sees them clearly and builds on exactly what they already know how to do.


Explore our Online Child Parent Relationship Training

The Child-Parent Relationship Training is a 10-week guided program to help you turn daily meltdowns into moments of connection through play, co-regulation, and relationship-based tools, without yelling, power struggles, or feeling like you’re failing as a parent.

Child-Parent Relationship Training (CPRT) materials with a laptop video and stacked handouts

How it works

The CPRTprogram is a framework built around connection, not correction

 

 

A model rooted in relationship, not in rules The CPRT foundation begins with one principle that holds across every cultural context: children communicate through behavior because they often cannot yet communicate with words. When a parent learns to receive those communications rather than react to them, the relationship shifts—and that shift does not require a particular background, language, or family structure to take hold.


Explore the right type of coaching for your family

 

 

A first call that meets the family where they are Garden City families can reach Michelle Holdeman by phone to talk through what they are experiencing and which program option makes the most sense. The conversation is direct, unhurried, and focused on the family's actual situation—not on fitting them into a predetermined structure.


Skills that stay with families long after the program ends

 

 

A weekly rhythm that builds real skills The program introduces one skill per week and asks parents to practice it in a short play session at home. For families in Garden City managing long work hours, multiple jobs, or the particular demands of a packing plant schedule, the format is designed to work with whatever time is actually available rather than against it.


Explore our services and specializations

Child parent relationship training CPRT is built on a simple insight that turns out to be profound in practice: connection precedes compliance. A child who feels genuinely understood by their parent does not need to be managed in the same way. They seek out the parent rather than pulling away, communicate rather than act out, and build on the relationship rather than testing it. Garden City families who go through the program describe this shift as among the most meaningful things they have experienced as parents.

Therapy for teens Teenagers in Garden City are growing up in one of the most genuinely multicultural communities in Kansas, navigating questions of identity, belonging, and cultural expectation that many of their peers in other cities never have to consider. A young person working through those questions—alongside the ordinary pressures of adolescence—often benefits from a space that is both private and genuinely skilled.

Therapy for family Family therapy in a community as culturally layered as Garden City often involves more than just the presenting conflict. It involves questions about how different members of the family understand their roles, what expectations feel like obligations, and how to build something functional that respects where everyone is coming from. New Connections approaches that complexity with care and without assumptions.

We serve clients in Garden City and nearby areas

New Connections Mental Health serves families throughout Garden City, Finney County, and the broader southwest Kansas region. Virtual parenting classes and an online parenting course reach clients in Holcomb, Lakin, Dodge City, Liberal, and Scott City without requiring a drive. In-person sessions are available at 2810 Plaza Avenue in Hays for families able to make the trip.

Testimonials

“I’m very grateful for your wisdom! You are so gifted at your profession!”

“Thank you so much for helping me with my child. You have no idea how much we appreciate it and how much you mean to the both of us!”

“I hope you know how much you mean to us. You are incredibly talented and came into our lives at the exact right time. Thank you for supporting and loving us. Your work has made a world of difference in our trajectory and healing. We love you very very much!”

Hi, I'm Michelle Holdeman, founder of New Connections Mental Health group practice
I founded New Connections Mental Health because every family in Kansas—no matter where they live or what they carry—deserves access to real parenting support. The diversity of Garden City is something I hold with genuine respect: the families who come from different countries, speak different languages, and bring different frameworks for what family means. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with specialized training in CPRT and family therapy, I offer a program that works across all of those differences because it is grounded in something universal: the relationship between a parent and a child. Virtual sessions reach Garden City families wherever they are, and in-person appointments are available at my Hays office for families making the drive.


Smiling person sitting on a log in a grassy park, wearing a tan jacket and jeans, with decorative star stickers around the photo

Frequently asked questions

  • How is CPRT different from any other parenting curriculum?

    • CPRT uses the language of children's play to build connection and understanding between parent and child.
    • It introduces one new concept weekly, practiced in short sessions, making it easier to retain and implement.
    • Best of all, CPRT is recognized by SAMHSA as an Evidence-Based Treatment, proving its effectiveness.

  • What is expected from the parent:

    • CPRT focuses on gradual learning, introducing one practical skill at a time so parents can apply and retain new strategies effectively.
    • Rather than overwhelming you with too much theory, CPRT is structured to be clear, doable, and supportive for busy families.
    • Each week builds on the last, helping you strengthen your bond, improve communication, and reduce conflict with your child in a manageable way.
    • CPRT has been validated by SAMHSA as an Evidence-Based Treatment, setting it apart from standard parenting guides.

  • Will my insurance cover the cost of CPRT?

    Group CPRT classes are not eligible for insurance billing. However, if you're attending individual sessions, we can provide a superbill. This document can be submitted to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement, depending on your plan's coverage.