Parents and families
Support for the hard parts of parenting
True North Vitality offers parenting support in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, at its Greensburg and Ligonier offices and online. Dave Kemerer, MA, LPC, works with parents, co-parents and blended families on discipline, communication, family seasons and stepfamily roles, within a Christ-centered practice.
- 3 Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselors
- Greensburg · Irwin · Ligonier
- Online across Pennsylvania
- Christ-centered counseling
This may help if
- You and your partner disagree about rules, discipline or screen time.
- Your family is blending, and roles between stepparents and children feel unclear.
- You are co-parenting across two homes and want calmer handoffs and conversations.
- A new season, such as a new baby, a new school or the teen years, has thrown off your routines.
- You feel worn out, short-tempered or unsure of yourself as a parent.
What is parenting support?
Parenting support is counseling for parents about how the family runs: how you talk with your children, how you set limits, and how the adults in the home work together. It is not a parenting class with a fixed program. Sessions start from your family, your values and the problem in front of you.
Families change in every season. A new baby, a first day of school, puberty, a move or a child leaving home can each unsettle what used to work. It is common to struggle in the gaps between those changes, and asking for help is a normal part of raising children.
Who will we work with?
Parenting support at True North Vitality is with Dave Kemerer, MA, LPC, the practice's founder. Couples, marriage and family work is Dave's specialty. He has worked in the helping professions since 2008, started in-home family-based therapy in 2013 and has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 2016. He is trained in Structural and Strategic Family Therapy and sees children aged 6 and up, teens and parents.
Dave sees families at our Greensburg office at 113 Alwine Avenue, with a gravel parking lot behind the building, and at our Ligonier office at 125 West Main Street, just off the Diamond. Online sessions by secure video through SimplePractice are also available for clients located in Pennsylvania at the time of each session.
What can parenting sessions help with?
Teens often need adults who connect with them, talk with them, spend time with them and show real interest. Sessions can look at how to build more of that into ordinary days. If a child or teen needs their own support, see our teen therapy page.
- Getting on the same page as parents about rules, routines and consequences
- Communication that keeps connection with your child while still holding limits
- Co-parenting between two homes, including handoffs and shared decisions
- Changes in behavior, mood or school that worry you
- Screen time, sleep and family schedules that pull everyone in different directions
- Your own stress, guilt or anger as a parent
How can counseling help a blended family?
Becoming a stepfamily takes time and effort from everyone, especially the parents. Each person has to work out how the household will run, what is shared and what each person's role will be. Children may welcome a stepparent, or they may feel jealous, resentful or intruded upon, and both are common.
Many families find it helps when a stepparent builds a relationship with a child gradually, at the child's own pace. The couple's own relationship also matters a great deal to how the whole family settles. Counseling gives the adults a place to plan together, and some sessions may include children when that is useful. Dave also works with couples, so family therapy and couples work can be part of the same plan.
How do we get started?
- Book a free 20-minute consultationCall, email or use the form on our contact page. The consultation is a phone call about what is happening at home and who should come to sessions.
- PaperworkIntake forms for each person attending are completed before the first session.
- First sessionUsually with the parents first, to understand the family, what you have already tried and what you want to change.
- Ongoing sessionsWeekly sessions are encouraged for the first month when possible. Some sessions may be with parents only and others with children present, depending on the plan you agree on.
What should we know about cost, faith and safety?
Some of our counselors work with insurance and others see clients on a self-pay basis, and plans differ by counselor. Call with your plan name and we will tell you what your options are, or see our insurance page. Sessions are 55 minutes.
For Christian families, prayer, Scripture and shared faith can be part of the work, and families who are still exploring faith are welcome too. Our counselors do not provide custody evaluations, and we generally refer court-ordered co-parenting counseling and family reunification to other providers. If you need a letter confirming attendance for court, there is a fee for it.
If anyone in your home is in danger or in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911. True North Vitality is not an emergency service. See our crisis resources page for more options.
Common questions
Do both parents need to come?
It often helps when both parents or co-parents take part, because children notice when the adults are working together. It is not required. One parent can start on their own and others can join later. Talk through who should attend during your consultation call.
Will my child be in the sessions?
That depends on the plan you agree on. Parenting support often starts with the adults. Dave sees children aged 6 and up, so children may join some sessions. For children and teens, a parent comes to at least the first session and is welcome to stay involved when it fits the work.
Can you help when we are co-parenting after a divorce?
Yes, co-parenting is a common reason parents reach out. Sessions can focus on communication, handoffs, shared rules and helping children with two homes. Our counselors do not provide custody evaluations or court recommendations, and court-ordered co-parenting counseling is generally referred elsewhere, so counseling stays focused on the family's day-to-day life.
Do we have to be a Christian family?
No. True North Vitality is a Christ-centered practice and many families we see are Christian, but families who are open, unsure or of another faith are welcome too. If faith shapes how you want to parent, it will be part of the conversation.
References
Published by True North Vitality, a counseling practice of Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Counselors in Westmoreland County. Last updated November 2, 2026. This page is general information, not medical or mental health advice, a diagnosis or a substitute for care.
You might also be looking for
- Family therapyHelp for parents, teens and blended families with conflict, change and school struggles.Learn more
- Teen therapyCounseling for children 6 and up and teens, with parents involved, in Greensburg, Ligonier and Irwin.Learn more
- Couples and marriage counselingHelp with communication, conflict and trust for couples, in Greensburg, Irwin, Ligonier and online.Learn more
- Postpartum and perinatal therapyCounseling in pregnancy, after birth and after pregnancy loss, at our Irwin office or online.Learn more
Ready to take the first step?
Call, email or send a short message to book a free 20-minute consultation. We’ll help you choose a counselor and an office in Greensburg, Irwin or Ligonier, or meet online anywhere in Pennsylvania.