Hi, I’m Peta Kerr!

I coach parents that need support during difficult times. Years after moving to the States and reentering the workforce, I quickly realized that advocating and offering support to families facing crisis was different for each family unit, and I wanted to reach more families with less limitations. Creating my own practice allowed me to do just that!

The Full Story

I was born and raised in Canada. Growing up, my family consisted of the most adoring parents, two sisters, and they were all educators. My mom was a special education teacher, my dad was a high school math teacher, and then went on to teach at the local college where I went to school, my sister is a principal and was previously a kindergarten teacher, and my other sister was a biology teacher. My parents highly encouraged the education profession.

I always loved working with kids. I worked as a camp counselor for years. I then worked within families’ homes, providing respite care for children with special needs. I knew I wanted to work with families but did not want to be a classroom teacher.

“After many years of working with families within different roles, such as a behavior consultant on the school board, an applied behavior analyst consultant within a clinical setting, and an intensive behavior interventionist within a segregated preschool setting, I began the next chapter of starting my own family.”

After 14 moves internationally and birthing three children in three different countries, I decided it was time to go back to work. Starting back in my career in a different country and being a single mom of three came with challenges. Licensing in Ohio looked completely different from Canada. I quickly realized that my post-graduate studies in Canada did not count in America. As I began re-training myself to learn the differences between the Canadian and American systems, I was hired as an Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. I emersed myself in any training I could find. I became licensed as an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist with the Ohio Chemical Dependency Board. I received certification as a Certified Trauma Practitioner – Clinical. I became certified as an Ohio Infant Family Practioner – II with Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, among many other recognitions. Most importantly, I realized I could make a difference.

In 2017, I received my first referral for “Parent Coaching.” There was no defined role within this title. I showed up at my first Parent/Child visit and left knowing this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to create this role and continue working with parents and supporting them within their family unit.

I continued receiving referrals for parent coaching as I continued my role as Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. My coaching caseload started to out way my ECMH caseload. I was so incredibly passionate about continuing my work with parents and shaping this new role that didn’t exist.

“As I heard from peers and families about what they were looking for within my role, I realized for every family — my support areas looked different.”

In 2019, I decided to better reach more families with less limitations; I needed to start my own LLC. Passcode to Parenting was born. I continued to take on referrals and build a unique caseload of families and parents in need. To continue to develop my skills, I became a certified Ohio Supreme Court Family and Divorce Mediator and Parent Coordinator.

With education at heart from my family history, I wanted to learn more. I took trainings to better understand today’s social issues, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, high-conflict divorces, and the impact on children. I became licensed as a New Ways for Families Coach to work with parents in high conflict. I am certified as a Supervised Visitation Monitor.

I was asked to be a National Trainer for Paxis Institute for their Pax Tools Training Programs. I train human service professionals and educators nationwide in the prevention science-based program.

Passcode to Parenting is continuing to grow and offer more support for families. It now includes a Childhood Trauma and Attachment Therapist, a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, and we are looking to expand our therapy team. Click here to view all of our services.

We want to help support families during difficult times. We want to reach the whole family system and collaborate with service providers to provide a wraparound support team. We want to stay current with social issues directly affecting families and be beside families during these difficult times.

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Passcode to Parenting provides a safe and judgment-free space for children and families in Northeast Ohio to repair, rebuild, and reconnect their relationships and move forward together. If you or someone you care about is experiencing difficulties in parenting, family stress, mental health concerns, high-conflict divorce, trauma, or crisis — we can help. Contact us today!