We help parents develop more harmonious and co-operative relationships with their children from infancy to adulthood.
Our guidance, developed over three decades, relies on evidence-based psychological theory and research. Our core principle is that the least coercive approach is always best, because it promotes co-operation and independence, and is ultimately least demanding on you, as a parent.
Our core activities, which include online workshops and discussion groups, are designed to help parents understand their children’s experience ‘from the inside’ and communicate more effectively with them. We also offer individual parent and family counselling sessions, as well as insights, advice, and support via our blog and social media channels.
Our mission is to promote co-operative parenting because it benefits not only the children but the whole family.
We maintain the highest possible professional standards (You can read these using the link in our footer).
Our story
We started Parenting with Passion because we believe our knowledge and expertise can benefit others. Our guidance is based on reliable expert research and a depth of professional experience. We are committed to prioritising ethical conduct over profit and want to make our service accessible to everyone.
Parenting with Passion runs online group workshops for parents on a variety of topics. We also provide individual parent and family counselling sessions online, and offer insights, advice, and support via our blog and social media channels.
Our mission is to promote co-operative parenting because it benefits not only the children but the whole family.
Lisa Bedlow
I have always been passionate about supporting and caring for children and families. My career began as a teenager, when I became a live-in Nanny. I then attended Froebel College, Roehampton University to specialise in Early Years Education.
After a few years I was promoted to Deputy Head and on to Headship. I was Executive Head Teacher of two Outstanding Local Authority Nursery Schools, which included a Children’s Centre, Daycare Nursery, and an Autism Resource base. When my children were very young I was a lecturer and tutor at The Chiltern College training Nursery Nurses.
In each of these roles I gained a lot of knowledge supporting families through a wide range of experiences in the highs and lows that life brings. After 15 years of Headship I focussed on children’s wellbeing having founded Gabriels Wellbeing and Education where we provided outdoor learning for children in nature, support those being home educated and ran a one to one programme in schools.
After relocating to Oxfordshire I remain a Director with Gabriels Wellbeing, working on coaching and supporting parents alongside the Emotional Success Programme which I created to help children struggling to manage their emotions. Parenting with Passion enables me to continue to use my knowledge and skills to help parents and children near and far.
Adam Abdelnoor
My earliest memory of school was the last day of term at my primary school. I was nine. We were allowed to bring a toy in – I chose my helicopter. As I twirled it about making the appropriate noises, I suddenly saw myself from outside, and thought, “Here I am being a cute little boy, but I am growing up and this little boy will disappear”. I have always been a psychologist. Everyone is, even if they do not know it!
I have always applied my knowledge to real world problems. I started my career working with children with special needs, where theory was tested to destruction. I learned it was far more effective to win the children’s liking and co-operation than to try and “modify their behaviour”.
As a senior research fellows at St George’s Medical School I focused on loss and bereavement, sexuality and personal development of people with learning disabilities, and forensic studies. My training included counselling and therapeutic skills, nonviolent communications, family group conferencing, and excluded children.
I carried out three International Research field trips into school exclusions funded by the Churchill Memorial Trust and the British Academy and used what I had learned to set up a charity advocating a successful community based inclusion model supported by the Department for Education, who adopted the charity’s Managed Moves Strategy. The charity set up Inaura, an Independent Special school in Somerset. I was its founding Headteacher for ten years.
I left Inaura because I wanted to apply what I had learned more widely, not just for children with special needs, and started Parenting with Passion with Lisa and Elanor to do just that.
Elanor Caunt
When I was growing up, I saw both of my parents going through multiple relationship breakdowns and witnessed the inevitable pain and upset that that caused for both the children and the parents involved in those relationships, myself included. One of the more positive outcomes from those difficult times is that I now have a really wonderful extended family for which I'm very grateful.
It gave me many insights into the ways that parents can support their children when they are going through situations like that themselves. Twenty years later, I became a parent myself and I now have two amazing children of my own. Being a parent is the best job I've ever had. But as I'm sure any parent would agree, raising a child comes with many challenges, and so every day is a huge learning curve.
Through working with Adam and Lisa, I have learned a lot about the kind of parent that I want to be, and most importantly, how I need to change in order to achieve that. And my hope is that by sharing some of the expertise and skills and the knowledge that we have as a team, we might be able to help other parents on their journey too.