Dr. Michelle Alden doesn't just stand at a podium and tell parents what they should be doing.
She gets what it feels like when parenting is hard, the strategies aren't working, and everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should try next.
With humor, clinical expertise, real-life experience, and practical tools, Dr. Michelle helps audiences understand what's really happening beneath challenging behavior, and, more importantly, what they can do about it.
Whether you're planning a parent night, school event, professional training, conference, keynote, workshop, or national organization event, Michelle brings an engaging message your audience can actually use when they walk out the door.
She gets what it feels like when parenting is hard, the strategies aren't working, and everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should try next.
With humor, clinical expertise, real-life experience, and practical tools, Dr. Michelle helps audiences understand what's really happening beneath challenging behavior, and, more importantly, what they can do about it.
Whether you're planning a parent night, school event, professional training, conference, keynote, workshop, or national organization event, Michelle brings an engaging message your audience can actually use when they walk out the door.
Who I Speak To:
- Parents & Caregivers
- Parent nights, community events, churches, conferences, and family organizations.
Schools & Educators- Professional development, staff training, parent education, and school-community events.
Professionals & Organizations- Clinicians, agencies, healthcare professionals, adoption organizations, child-serving organizations, and conferences.
National Audiences: Michelle is available for virtual and in-person speaking for national organizations, conferences, podcasts, webinars, and large-scale events.
What Your Audience Will Get
Dr. Michelle's goal isn't to overwhelm an audience with more information.
It's to give them a new way to think about challenging behavior, and something practical to do next.
Audiences leave with tools to:
Dr. Michelle's goal isn't to overwhelm an audience with more information.
It's to give them a new way to think about challenging behavior, and something practical to do next.
Audiences leave with tools to:
- Create greater safety and stability at home
- Build connection with children who seem to push it away
- Respond to challenging behavior with greater clarity and confidence
- Understand what may be driving behavior beneath the surface
- Move from chaos and confusion toward calm, capable leadership
- Equip parents rather than simply providing services to children
Popular Speaking TopicsThe Parent Is the InterventionWhy parents need to be equipped, not sidelined, in helping children with challenging behavior. Learn how putting practical tools in parents' hands can change what happens at home.
When Parenting Doesn't Feel NaturalWhat do you do when you genuinely don't know what to do anymore? Helping parents move from self-doubt and frustration toward confidence and intentional leadership.
Intentional Parenting: Building the Family You WantHealthy family relationships don't happen by accident. Learn how small, intentional choices build connection, trust, and a stronger family—especially when you didn't grow up with those models yourself.
Beyond Child-Centered Parenting And Healthy Foundations WayWhy caring deeply about children also means caring for and equipping their parents. Explore a parent-centered approach that strengthens the entire family rather than placing the responsibility for change solely on the child.
When You've Tried Everything (Building Executive Functioning Skills at Home)What happens when the parenting strategies, consequences, rewards, therapy, and advice aren't working? A practical look at what may be missing, and what parents can do next.
Why Challenging Families Need CoachingFamilies dealing with intense behavior don't just need another list of strategies. They need support while they're trying to use those strategies in the middle of real life. Learn why coaching matters and why some of the most important skills are built at home, through everyday experiences.
Stop Saying “That's Just Defiance”A child's behavior may look defiant while communicating something entirely different. Learn how to look beneath the behavior and respond in ways that actually move the family forward.
Building a Bridge to Better Behaviors (Why The Family Program is Good for Providers)An introduction to the Healthy Foundations Way™ and the idea that lasting family change is built one stone at a time, with the parent at the center of the intervention.
Meet Dr. Michelle AldenDr. Michelle Alden is a marriage and family therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor in Idaho, national parent coach, speaker, trainer, podcaster, adoption expert, and author of four books, including Parenting Emotionally Distressed Kids.
With a doctorate in Human Services, clinical experience as a therapist, and years of coaching families in crisis, Michelle brings together professional expertise and real-world parenting experience.
Her work focuses on helping families raising children with intense and challenging behaviors, including defiance, emotional outbursts, shutdowns, disconnection, and significant emotional dysregulation.
She believes parents don't need more judgment.
They need someone who can help them figure out what to do next.
Let's Bring Michelle to Your AudiencePlanning a parent event?
Looking for a dynamic professional development speaker?
Need a workshop for your school or organization?
Planning a conference or national event?
Let's talk about what your audience needs.
When Parenting Doesn't Feel NaturalWhat do you do when you genuinely don't know what to do anymore? Helping parents move from self-doubt and frustration toward confidence and intentional leadership.
Intentional Parenting: Building the Family You WantHealthy family relationships don't happen by accident. Learn how small, intentional choices build connection, trust, and a stronger family—especially when you didn't grow up with those models yourself.
Beyond Child-Centered Parenting And Healthy Foundations WayWhy caring deeply about children also means caring for and equipping their parents. Explore a parent-centered approach that strengthens the entire family rather than placing the responsibility for change solely on the child.
When You've Tried Everything (Building Executive Functioning Skills at Home)What happens when the parenting strategies, consequences, rewards, therapy, and advice aren't working? A practical look at what may be missing, and what parents can do next.
Why Challenging Families Need CoachingFamilies dealing with intense behavior don't just need another list of strategies. They need support while they're trying to use those strategies in the middle of real life. Learn why coaching matters and why some of the most important skills are built at home, through everyday experiences.
Stop Saying “That's Just Defiance”A child's behavior may look defiant while communicating something entirely different. Learn how to look beneath the behavior and respond in ways that actually move the family forward.
Building a Bridge to Better Behaviors (Why The Family Program is Good for Providers)An introduction to the Healthy Foundations Way™ and the idea that lasting family change is built one stone at a time, with the parent at the center of the intervention.
Meet Dr. Michelle AldenDr. Michelle Alden is a marriage and family therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor in Idaho, national parent coach, speaker, trainer, podcaster, adoption expert, and author of four books, including Parenting Emotionally Distressed Kids.
With a doctorate in Human Services, clinical experience as a therapist, and years of coaching families in crisis, Michelle brings together professional expertise and real-world parenting experience.
Her work focuses on helping families raising children with intense and challenging behaviors, including defiance, emotional outbursts, shutdowns, disconnection, and significant emotional dysregulation.
She believes parents don't need more judgment.
They need someone who can help them figure out what to do next.
Let's Bring Michelle to Your AudiencePlanning a parent event?
Looking for a dynamic professional development speaker?
Need a workshop for your school or organization?
Planning a conference or national event?
Let's talk about what your audience needs.
