Online Parenting Classes & Family Therapy in Great Bend, KS

At New Connections Mental Health, the parents who call from the Great Bend area are rarely at their worst. Most are doing everything right and still feeling like something is missing. Parenting classes in Great Bend, Kansas exist for exactly that space: the gap between loving a child and knowing how to reach them when things get hard.


The city takes its name from the great bend of the Arkansas River, which curves through Barton County and shapes the landscape around it. Families spread across neighborhoods near Barton County Community College, out toward Ellinwood and Hoisington, and down the US-56 corridor toward Larned have all made their way to New Connections. The practice offers fully virtual sessions that reach across the surrounding plains without anyone needing to rearrange a workday or find a sitter.


Barton County families tend to carry their challenges quietly. There is a particular kind of stoicism that comes with agricultural rhythms and wide-open space, and seeking support for parenting can feel like one more thing to add to an already full life. What families here consistently discover is that parenting classes are less about adding to the load and more about setting some of it down.


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.

How it works

The CPRTprogram is a framework built around connection, not correction

 

 

The CPRT foundation at New Connections begins with one question: what is this behavior trying to say? Rather than handing parents a list of responses, it builds a new way of reading a child's signals. Families who have tried everything else often describe this shift as the first thing that actually made sense.


Explore the right type of coaching for your family

 

 

Reaching out to New Connections begins with a simple phone call. Michelle Holdeman speaks directly with families from Great Bend and the surrounding Barton County area to understand what they are looking for and match them with the right format. Group and individual options are both available, and the conversation is low-key and unhurried.


Skills that stay with families long after the program ends

 

 

Each session introduces one new skill practiced in a 30-minute play session at home. By week three or four, most parents notice something different, not just in their child but in themselves. The skills are practical, portable, and built for real family life on the Kansas plains.


Explore our services and specializations

Some parents arrive at CPRT after years of trying. Others come early, sensing that something is drifting and wanting to catch it before it grows. Either way, the starting point is the same: a child whose behavior is telling a story the parent has not yet been able to read, and a parent ready to learn a new language.

As the weeks progress, the dynamic inside the home starts to shift. Children who were difficult to reach begin opening up in small but meaningful ways. Parents who felt helpless start to feel capable. The relief that comes from this is not just behavioral. It is deeply relational, and it tends to spread into every corner of family life.


The program is available as an online parenting course for families across Kansas, making it possible to do meaningful work without disrupting daily life. Sessions are rooted in play, which means children are not asked to talk about their feelings in abstract ways. They get to show them, and parents learn to understand what they are seeing.


Adolescence in a smaller city carries its own particular weight. The social dynamics are tighter, the community is closer, and there are fewer places to go when things feel hard. Teenagers in Great Bend and the surrounding area who are navigating anxiety, identity questions, or family strain deserve a space that belongs entirely to them.


In therapy, adolescents often find that they have more to say than they realized. The relief of being heard without judgment softens the walls most teenagers build over time, and families on the outside tend to notice the difference before they expect to. Something opens up at home that had been closed for a while.


Virtual sessions allow teens to access support without the added visibility of being seen walking into a therapist's office in a community where everyone knows each other. The work is private, consistent, and built entirely around the young person.


Family conflict is rarely about what it appears to be about. Beneath the arguments and the distance lies something more fundamental: a breakdown in the way family members feel understood by one another. Family therapy creates a structured space where those deeper layers can be explored without the conversation escalating.


Families who commit to this work tend to leave with a different picture of each other. The partner who seemed checked out turns out to be overwhelmed. The teenager who seemed defiant turns out to be scared. Seeing those truths changes what people do next, and it changes it at the root.


New Connections offers family therapy sessions virtually for Great Bend families and anyone in the Barton County region, removing the barriers that make consistent attendance so difficult when life is already full.


We serve clients in Great Bend and nearby areas

New Connections Mental Health serves families throughout Great Bend, Barton County, and the surrounding region. Virtual parenting classes and online parenting courses reach clients in Ellinwood, Hoisington, Larned, Claflin, and beyond, while in-person appointments are available at the Hays office at 2810 Plaza Avenue, roughly 45 miles northwest. 


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 out of a conviction that parents in Great Bend and across Kansas deserve real support, not just general advice. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist trained in CPRT and EMDR, I have worked with children ages 3 to 17 in schools, hospitals, and community mental health settings across the state. Every therapist on this team brings that same belief: that behavior is a language, and that families can learn to understand it. Behavior is communication, and connection is the foundation of healing.



Frequently asked questions

  • How is CPRT different from any other parenting curriculum?

    • You won’t be overwhelmed or asked to change your entire parenting style overnight. CPRT introduces one new skill at a time, practiced in short, 30-minute play sessions with your child, making learning feel manageable and effective.
    • The model uses play the most natural way children express themselves to help you connect and better understand your child’s emotions and thoughts.
    • CPRT is also recognized as an Evidence-Based Treatment by SAMHSA, setting it apart from many other parenting programs.

  • What is expected from the parent:

    • CPRT doesn’t expect you to change your entire parenting style overnight; it meets you where you are, introducing one manageable skill each week.
    • You’ll have the chance to apply each new tool during a simple 30-minute play session with your child, making learning feel natural and stress-free.
    • Through guided play, you'll deepen your bond as your child learns to express their inner world using the language they know best: toys.
    • Unlike many programs, CPRT is backed by research and recognized by SAMHSA, giving you confidence that what you’re learning truly works.

  • Will my insurance cover the cost of CPRT?

    Insurance is not billed for group CPRT classes. However, if you're attending individual sessions, we can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement.