Online Parenting Classes & Family Therapy in Wichita, KS

Kansas's largest city keeps a particular kind of pace, and the parents who reach New Connections Mental Health from Wichita often describe the same experience: they have been trying hard, staying consistent, doing everything they know how to do—and still feeling like the connection they want with their child is just slightly out of reach. The parenting classes offered here give those families something more useful than more strategies. They give caregivers a way to understand what their child is actually communicating, so the effort they are already putting in can finally land.


Sedgwick County stretches from the Arkansas River and the Keeper of the Plains at the city's cultural heart out through Derby, Andover, Haysville, Valley Center, and Maize—each community distinct but woven into the broader Wichita metro. Families near Wichita State University and Friends University bring an educated, achievement-oriented energy to everything they take on, and families across the eastern and southern suburbs move at the pace of a city built on aerospace, manufacturing, and the particular drive of a place that has always built things. New Connections serves Wichita families entirely through virtual sessions, with in-person appointments available at the Hays office at 2810 Plaza Avenue for families who prefer to meet face to face.


The speed of Wichita life has a way of pushing family dynamics into the background until they cannot be ignored any longer. Parents navigating demanding careers, active school schedules, and the invisible labor of keeping a household running often find that parenting classes in Wichita, Kansas give them the one thing their full calendars never left room for: a structured practice that actually changes how things feel at home. Families across Sedgwick County who come to New Connections consistently describe the experience as finding language for something they had been carrying without words.


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 that asks what behavior means, not how to stop it The CPRT foundation at New Connections begins with one reframe: a child's behavior is not the problem—it is a message about what the child is trying to express and cannot yet put into words. Once parents learn to receive that message rather than react to the surface of the behavior, the entire dynamic of the relationship shifts. Wichita parents who complete the program consistently describe this reframe as the thing they wish they had found earlier.


Explore the right type of coaching for your family

 

 

One conversation to find the right fit Families in Wichita can call Michelle Holdeman directly to talk through what is happening at home and find out which format makes the most sense. The conversation is low-pressure and focused on the family's actual situation. Group sessions, individual coaching, and virtual formats are all available, and the right fit depends on what the family needs rather than what is easiest to schedule.


Skills that stay with families long after the program ends

 

 

A weekly practice that builds something lasting Each session introduces one new skill, which parents then practice in a short play session at home during the week. Wichita families with full calendars consistently name this structure as one of the most useful things about the program: it does not ask them to clear their schedule or overhaul their household. It asks them to show up for thirty minutes and pay a different kind of attention.


Explore our services and specializations

Child parent relationship training CPRT is not designed for crisis. It is designed for the parent who senses a drift they cannot quite name and wants to address it before it widens. That description fits a remarkable number of Wichita parents who come to the program—capable, attentive people who realize, a few sessions in, that what they have been missing is not effort but language.

Therapy for teens Wichita teenagers are navigating high school in a city large enough that almost anyone could get lost in it and close-knit enough that reputations still travel. A young person carrying anxiety, depression, or the weight of family tension often needs a place to be honest that is not also visible to everyone they know.

Therapy for family Family tension in a household moving at the pace of a working Wichita family has a way of becoming structural. The same arguments happen on the same trigger, the same people get assigned the same roles, and nobody quite remembers when it started. Family therapy at New Connections creates a space to interrupt those patterns and build something more deliberate.

We serve clients in Wichita and nearby areas

New Connections Mental Health serves families throughout Wichita, Sedgwick County, and the greater metro region. Virtual parenting classes and an online parenting course reach families in Derby, Andover, Haysville, Maize, Valley Center, El Dorado, and Augusta without requiring a commute. In-person appointments are available at the Hays office at 2810 Plaza Avenue for families who prefer to meet face to face.

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 I believe that families in every corner of Kansas—from the smallest rural communities to the largest city in the state—deserve access to skilled, genuine support. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with specialized training in CPRT and family therapy, I have spent my career building something that closes the gap between need and access. For Wichita families, that means fully virtual sessions that fit around demanding schedules, and in-person appointments available at my Hays office for families who want to meet face to face.


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.