Climbing Parents Circle
You know how to get them to training.
Nobody tells you what to say on the drive home.
Watching your child fall in love with climbing is one of the better things that happens to a parent. It also comes with questions nobody hands you an answer to. What to say after a comp that didn't go their way. When to push and when to stay quiet. How to read a bad week.
We're sport psychologists who grew up in this sport and now work with young climbers and their families every week. The Climbing Parents Circle is where we share what actually helps: practical, specific, and built around the moments you're already in.
Join our Climbing Parents Community
The moments this is for
Most of what's hard about this sport happens off the wall.
The forty minutes in the car after a comp that didn't go their way
The week they suddenly "don't feel like" trying the hard problems any more
The plateau at fourteen that nobody warned you about
The conversation with their coach you've rehearsed four times and still haven't had
Watching them measure themselves against a teammate who just moved up
Your own heart rate in the stands, while you do a convincing impression of someone relaxed
You don't need a psychology degree to handle these well. You need to know what's actually going on and what tends to work.
The Climbing Parents Circle – 6 Online Classes
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Boosting your Child’s Confidence in Climbing: Encouraging Self-Esteem and a Positive Mindset
In this class, you'll learn effective strategies to help your child build self-esteem and cultivate a positive mindset in their climbing journey. We'll explore practical techniques for fostering resilience and confidence, even in the face of challenges and setbacks. Discover how to support your child in overcoming social comparisons and embracing their unique strengths.
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Mastering Emotions: Helping Your Child Navigate Pressure, Anxiety, and Fear of Failure
In this class, we’ll dive into effective strategies for helping your child manage pressure, anxiety, and fear of failure in their climbing experiences. You’ll gain insights into recognizing and addressing emotional challenges that impact your child’s performance and enjoyment. Learn practical techniques to provide support and build emotional resilience, empowering your child to navigate their climbing journey with confidence and calm.
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Building a Stronger Relationship with Your Child and Their Climbing Coaches
In this class, you'll learn how to foster positive communication between you, your child, and their climbing coaches, creating a supportive and understanding environment. We'll provide guiding questions for family discussions that can help uncover and address your child's psychological needs in climbing. By understanding these needs, you can better support your child's journey, ensuring they feel confident and motivated in their sport.
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Empowering Climbing Parents: Managing Challenges, Setting Boundaries, and Practicing Self-Care
In this class, you'll learn to distinguish between your role as a parent and the coach's responsibilities, helping you create a balanced and supportive environment for your child. We'll discuss the unique challenges climbing parents face and explore research-backed strategies to overcome common barriers in sports parenting. Additionally, we'll introduce a developmental model to help you understand your evolving role and how to best support your child's growth in climbing.
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“Everyone is better than me”. Helping your Kid Navigate Social Comparison
In this class, you will learn how to guide your child through the tricky moments of social comparison – the ones that can either inspire them or make them feel “less than.” We’ll look at the challenge vs. threat lens from sport psychology and how two climbers can see the same moment completely differently. More importantly, you’ll learn how small cues from you – your tone, reactions, questions, or support after a comp – can help your child interpret comparison in a way that builds confidence, resilience, and a healthier mindset on and off the wall.
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Self-Esteem, Setbacks & Identity
In this class, we’ll dive into how self-esteem, confidence, identity, and self-efficacy influence your child’s development as a climber. You’ll gain insight into the unique mental demands of climbing, the key psychological stages young climbers go through, and what shapes their sense of self along the way. We’ll unpack why different identity pillars matter, how setbacks affect them, and the important role you play as a parent.
What You Get
Six Recorded, Online Classes on Key Topics
This series of four recorded online classes includes: Boosting Your Child’s Confidence in Climbing, Mastering Emotions, Building a Stronger Relationship with Your Child and Their Climbing Coaches, and Managing Challenges, Setting Boundaries, Practicing Self-Care for Climbing Parents, Self-Esteem, Setbacks & Identity and “Everyone is better than me” – Helping your Kid Navigate Social Comparison.
Comprehensive Resources
Each class comes with a workbook filled with exercises and self-reflective questions to enhance your learning.
Actionable Strategies and Personalized Guidance
Gain practical advice and techniques you can immediately apply to support your child’s climbing journey, along with the chance to ask us your questions via email.
Pricing
Our six-class series is designed to be both affordable and accessible, with all sessions available for just €150 (~170 USD). Gain valuable insights and practical tools for supporting your child’s climbing journey at a price that fits your budget.
Join our Climbing Parents Community!
Who this is for
Parents of children and teenagers who train regularly and compete — at gym, club, federation, regional or national level. You don't need to understand climbing grades, and you don't need anything to be going wrong.
It isn't for: climbers themselves, or families looking for help with a diagnosed eating disorder, anxiety disorder or other clinical condition. That needs individual care
What Our Aim Is
Our aim is simple: to empower climbing parents like you with the knowledge, and tools you need to thrive in your role. Through expert-led sessions, and shared experiences, we'll explore effective strategies for nurturing your child's love for climbing while promoting safety, growth, and well-being.
What Other Parents Have Said
“Working with Climbing Psychology has been incredibly valuable for me as a sports parent. The insights and strategies I've gained have greatly improved my ability to support our child and have strengthened our relationship. Watching our kid benefit from Climbing Psychology's guidance has been invaluable for our entire family.”
Michael, Austria
“As a mother of two teenage athletes I highly recommend Climbing Psychology. Both Madeleine and Carina are not only very knowledgeable and experienced psychologists but also truly lovely people. My sons are benefiting a lot from the one on one coaching they do with Carina. Mental training is just as important as any other aspect in an athlete‘s career und finding a psychologist who is not only good at their job but also knowledgeable in the world of climbing is incredibly helpful and beneficial.”
Birgit, Austria
"I realized how my words and actions affected my son. By focusing on his effort and progress rather than just results, our relationship improved, and he started enjoying climbing again. Thanks, Climbing Psychology, for your support!"
Michaela, Austria
Questions parents ask
Does joining mean I'm doing something wrong?
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No. Most members join because things are going well and they'd like to keep it that way. Climbing asks a lot of young athletes, and almost no one gets handed a manual for the parent's side of it.
Will my child know I've joined?
That's entirely your call. Plenty of parents mention it, plenty don't. Nothing you say in the Circle reaches your child or their coach.
2
Is this therapy?
No. The Circle is education and peer support for parents. It isn't individual treatment and it isn't a substitute for care your child may need. If something comes up that needs individual attention, we'll say so and help you find the right person.
3
I barely have time as it is.
The videos are short (20-30min) and you only watch what's relevant to you. And if you get stuck, you can always reach out to us,