Online Parenting Classes & Family Therapy in Russell, KS

Not every family that calls New Connections Mental Health arrives in crisis. Many come because they sense a distance growing between them and their child and want to close it before it widens. Parenting classes in Russell, Kansas are built for that kind of early, honest awareness just as much as for the families who are already overwhelmed and need somewhere to start.


Along the I-70 corridor in the heart of Russell County, the city sits among oil fields and wheat country, shaped by the quiet pride of a small Kansas community that has produced more than its share of people who mattered. Families here know their neighbors, attend the same churches and schools, and tend to carry their struggles close. The surrounding area, stretching toward Wilson Lake to the north and Ellsworth to the east, is served by New Connections through virtual sessions that require nothing more than a phone or computer and a few minutes of quiet.


In a community where everyone knows everyone, seeking support for family challenges can feel like a public declaration. That concern keeps a lot of Russell families from reaching out sooner than they should. What they find when they do is that the work is private, practical, and shaped entirely around the life they are already living.

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 model does not teach parents to manage behavior. It teaches them to read it. Once a parent starts understanding what their child's actions are saying rather than reacting to the surface of them, the relationship begins to change. Most families in the program describe that reframe as the most valuable thing they took away.


Explore the right type of coaching for your family

 

 

Families in Russell and across Russell County can call Michelle Holdeman directly to talk through what they are experiencing and which program format makes the most sense. There is no portal to navigate and no long intake process. Just a conversation about what the family needs.


Skills that stay with families long after the program ends

 

 

Each week of the program introduces one new skill that parents practice in a brief structured play session with their child. Over the course of the program, those sessions build a new kind of fluency between parent and child, and that fluency does not fade when the program ends.


Explore our services and specializations

There is a moment many CPRT parents describe: sitting on the floor with a child during a play session and realizing, for the first time, that they know exactly what their child is feeling. That moment is not small. It tends to shift something fundamental in how a parent moves through every other part of their parenting.


By the middle of the program, families in the Russell area describe changes they did not fully anticipate. Morning routines that used to end in tears start going differently. Evenings feel less fraught. Children who seemed unreachable start initiating connection on their own.


Available as a virtual online parenting course, CPRT fits into a Russell family's schedule without requiring a drive or a rearranged day. The skills are built for real life in small-town Kansas: specific, practical, and immediately useful at home.


Teenagers in Russell are growing up in a community where reputations travel fast and privacy is limited. A young person carrying anxiety, depression, or the weight of a difficult home situation often has nowhere close to take it. Therapy gives that weight a legitimate home without it becoming part of the local conversation.


Teens who engage consistently with therapy often develop an emotional vocabulary they did not have before. They begin naming what they feel rather than acting it out, and that shift tends to reduce conflict at home in ways that surprise and genuinely move their parents.


Virtual sessions mean teens in Russell can access support from the privacy of their own space. Nobody in town needs to know, and nobody needs to make a long drive. The work stays between the teen and the therapist.


Family dynamics in small towns have a way of staying frozen. The same arguments happen on the same trigger, year after year, because nobody has had the language or the space to address what is actually underneath them. Family therapy interrupts that cycle by giving the conversation structure, pace, and a skilled third voice.


Families who commit to the process often arrive with one story and leave with another. The child who seemed defiant turns out to be frightened. The parent who seemed disengaged turns out to be exhausted. Those revelations change everything that comes next.


Sessions are available virtually for Russell families and anyone in the surrounding area, making it possible to prioritize family healing without adding complexity to an already full week.


We serve clients in Russell and nearby areas

New Connections Mental Health serves Russell, Russell County, and the communities along the I-70 corridor and beyond. Virtual parenting classes and online parenting courses reach families in Hays, Great Bend, Ellsworth, Lucas, and the Wilson Lake area without requiring a drive. In-person sessions are available at 2810 Plaza Avenue in Hays for those who prefer to meet face to face. The map below shows the office location.

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 know what it feels like to carry something as a parent and not know where to take it. That experience is part of why I founded New Connections Mental Health. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist trained in CPRT and EMDR, I have worked with children ages 3 to 17 and their families for nearly two decades across Kansas schools, hospitals, and community mental health settings. The clinicians I have brought onto this team share my conviction that families deserve to be met where they are. Behavior is communication, and connection is the foundation of healing.



Frequently asked questions

  • How is CPRT different from any other parenting curriculum?

    CPRT doesn’t overwhelm you with information. You’ll practice one new skill each week with your child during short, playful sessions, making it manageable and effective. Because children naturally communicate through play, CPRT uses toys as the bridge to connection. It’s also recognized by SAMHSA as an evidence-based treatment.

  • What is expected from the parent:

    • No pressure to change everything, just one new skill each week.
    • Practice these skills while playing with your child fun + bonding!
    • Play is the most natural way for children to communicate.
    • CPRT is more than helpful; it's recognized as an Evidence-Based Treatment by SAMHSA.

  • Will my insurance cover the cost of CPRT?

    Group CPRT is not eligible for insurance billing. For individual CPRT sessions, we can issue a superbill for you to submit to your provider in case they offer reimbursement.