Back-to-School Intake Questions for Working Parents
Three questions for adult working-parent clients: their calendar, their energy, their constraints. Not advice for their kids.
The client is the adult. School is a constraint on their calendar, not a second client. Add these to intake and the first-session agenda. Do not design a plan for the children.
The Three Add-On Questions
- Calendar — “Which three hours a week are actually yours through October?”
- Energy — “Where does the week already take more than it gives?” (A 1–10 on their goal, not a health screen.)
- Constraints — “What is non-negotiable at home that coaching has to route around?”
Then wait. Write the answers into progress notes as constraints, not as parenting advice.
How to Use the Answers
Put the three hours and the non-negotiables on the outcome map. Homework that needs a fourth hour is a bad experiment.
Where Coaches Break
- Asking “how are the kids doing?” and accidentally coaching the household.
- Setting homework that assumes a quiet Tuesday. They don’t have one.
- Treating September like January. It isn’t. Capacity just dropped.
The 3-Minute Action
Add the three questions to your intake form today. If you catch yourself advising a child, stop.