Trevor HuntPositive Learning Psychology
Coaching for your Child
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Parent enquiry ↗
Resources for parents

Practical tools. Useful conversations.

Explore strengths, confidence and wellbeing together. Start with an optional survey or questionnaire before your first coaching session, then dip into the books, research and parent guides below.

Explore before we meet

Free surveys &
practical tools.

Choose one that fits your child’s age and interests. Everything here is optional: you can arrive at your first session with curiosity and a question, with or without a questionnaire.

Not sure where to begin?

The VIA strengths survey is a useful starting point for ages 11–19. Choose the Youth or Adult version as indicated below.

Explore VIA

  1. Choose one together.

    Read the age and access notes. Agree whether your child would like to try it; there is no list to complete.

  2. Let their answers be theirs.

    Help with instructions if needed. Give your child space to answer honestly, without steering towards a “better” result.

  3. Bring a useful observation.

    Save the result if you wish. Your child can choose what to share: a strength, a surprise or a question they want to explore.

VIAFree online survey

VIA Character Strengths

VIA Institute on Character

Ages 11–17: Youth survey · Ages 18–19: Adult survey

Discover a personal profile of 24 strengths, from curiosity and kindness to creativity and perseverance. A useful first conversation about what your child already brings to life.

Free account · Around 10–15 minutes · Basic results are free

Start the free VIA survey
How to use it & what to bring

Choose the Youth survey for ages 11–17. Under-13s must use a parent or authorised adult’s account; VIA’s policy requires this for under-16s in the EU too. Your child answers for themselves. You do not need to buy a report. Afterwards, choose one strength and an everyday example of using it.

VIA account & privacy guidance ↗
GSEFree read-and-answer questionnaire

General Self-Efficacy Scale

Ralf Schwarzer & Matthias Jerusalem

Ages 12–19 and parents · Not for under-12s

Explore how confident you feel about coping with challenges and finding a way forward. Ten questions can help identify a situation where a little more support would be useful.

No account · About 4 minutes · Score using the instructions

Open the 10 GSE questions
How to use it & what to bring

The questions are in the “Appendix” near the bottom of the author’s page. Note your answers on paper; this is not an interactive form. Follow its scoring instructions, then bring a real example of a challenge you managed. The score reflects perceived coping confidence, not a test of ability.

Author’s guidance & translations ↗
PERMAFree online survey

PERMA-Profiler

Julie Butler & Margaret Kern · Penn Authentic Happiness

Adult measure · Suggested here for parents and ages 18–19

Reflect on positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Notice what is supporting your wellbeing and one area you would like to nurture.

Free Penn account · Registration includes research consent

Take the free PERMA survey
How to use it & what to bring

The link opens Penn’s login page before the questionnaire. PERMA was developed for adults; ask Trevor about a suitable option for under-18s. The developers also describe EPOCH, an adolescent wellbeing measure. There are no diagnostic cut-offs to interpret as a pass or fail.

Developer’s guidance & age context ↗
PWBFree printable questionnaire

Psychological Well-Being scales

Carol Ryff · Stanford SPARQtools resource

Adult measure · Suggested here for parents and ages 18–19

Explore six aspects of wellbeing, including purpose, growth, relationships and self-acceptance. It is not a measure of mental illness or a single verdict on how someone is doing.

No account · 18 questions · About 3–5 minutes

Open the free PWB questionnaire (PDF)
How to use it & what to bring

This is a PDF to read or print, not an automatically scored online survey. It includes scoring instructions, with some items scored in reverse. Bring your responses and we can discuss the pattern together. For an under-18, ask Trevor to help select an age-appropriate wellbeing tool first.

SPARQtools guidance & 42-item option ↗
SWLSFree online survey

Satisfaction With Life Scale

Ed Diener and colleagues · Penn Authentic Happiness

Suggested here for parents and ages 18–19

Five questions about your overall satisfaction with life. Use the result to open a conversation about what feels meaningful or fulfilling, and what you would like to change.

Free Penn account · 5 questions · Research consent required

Take the free life satisfaction survey
How to use it & what to bring

Use your own account and answer about your own life. For a younger teenager, check suitability with Trevor first. A single score cannot explain the reasons behind an answer; bring one thing going well and one thing you hope could improve.

Author’s explanation & questionnaire ↗
MLQFree online survey

Meaning in Life Questionnaire

Michael Steger and colleagues · Penn Authentic Happiness

Suggested here for parents and ages 18–19

Explore both a sense of meaning and the search for it. This can prompt useful reflection when thinking about values, choices and a new stage of life.

Free Penn account · Registration includes research consent

Take the free meaning questionnaire
How to use it & what to bring

Searching for meaning is not automatically a problem. Treat the result as a starting point and bring a question about what matters to you. For under-18s, ask Trevor whether this questionnaire or a simpler values conversation would fit better.

Penn’s guide to the measure ↗

A few more options to choose together.

These can support a particular coaching focus. Check suitability with Trevor before using them with your child.

GRITFree online survey

Grit Scale / Short Grit Scale

Angela Duckworth and colleagues

Choose together · Parents and older teenagers

Reflect on perseverance and long-term interests. Include the value of rest, support and changing direction when a goal no longer fits.

Free Penn account · Ask Trevor about suitability for your child

Open Penn’s free Grit survey
How to use it & what to bring

This is an optional personal reflection, not a way to rank children or judge how hard they are trying. The authors caution against using these scores to measure change from an intervention. Professional use must follow the publisher’s permissions.

Author’s guidance & use conditions ↗
HOPEFree printable questionnaire

Adult Hope Scale

C. R. Snyder and colleagues · University of Pennsylvania

Adult measure · Parents and ages 18–19

Think about the energy to pursue a goal and the ability to find different routes towards it. Useful for a conversation about what a manageable next step could look like.

No account · 12 items · PDF with scoring instructions

Open the Adult Hope questionnaire (PDF)
How to use it & what to bring

This is the adult questionnaire. Please ask Trevor about an appropriate alternative for younger children. Bring a goal that matters to you and a possible second route if your first plan meets an obstacle.

Penn’s explanation of the scale ↗
CYRM-RChoose with Trevor

Child and Youth Resilience Measure

Michael Ungar & the Resilience Research Centre

Youth version: ages 10–23 · Includes our 11–19 age range

Explore the people, relationships and everyday resources that support resilience. The right version and the context around the answers matter.

Provider downloads · Use conditions apply · No automatic online score

View the youth questionnaire options
How to use it & what to bring

The publisher provides questionnaires and a manual; these are not a simple online quiz. Please discuss the choice with Trevor before completing one. The centre permits free not-for-profit use and requires contact for commercial use, including use within a paid service.

Provider’s guidance & permissions ↗
About accounts, privacy and your results

Links open the provider’s website in a new tab. Check its age rules, privacy notice and consent terms before registering. Penn’s Authentic Happiness questionnaires require an account and consent to anonymous research use; their availability does not mean every measure is suitable for every age. VIA has specific rules for children using an adult’s account.

This website does not collect your survey answers or automatically receive your results. Share only what you and your child choose to discuss. The links are for optional personal exploration; any formal use in coaching must follow the provider’s permissions.

Penn registration & research information ↗VIA privacy & children’s accounts ↗

Would you like help choosing a starting point for your child?

Ask Trevor →
A starting point for conversation

Questionnaires are conversation aids—not tests to pass.

Participation is voluntary and age-appropriate. Scores are snapshots to discuss in context, not labels, diagnoses or a way to rank young people. Language, culture, timing and the version used all matter.

I review progress against goals agreed with the learner: what they tried, what changed and what they learned. A questionnaire may support that conversation; it does not replace it.

Research in context

What young people’s lives look like.

Attention, independent thinking and connection deserve a place alongside academic achievement.

OECD · Published 8 September 2026

PISA 2025: learning in a changing world

Students aged 15 · OECD countries · Percentage reporting each experience

Use AI chatbots at least weekly to help them learn46%
Say fellow students are distracted by devices in most or every science class28%
Feel they belong at school76%

Separate indicators, not parts of a whole. The study covered 91 countries and economies; these figures are OECD averages.

Read PISA 2025 Results, Volume I ↗
WHO / HBSC · Published 25 September 2024

Problematic social media use

Adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 · Percentage showing signs of problematic use

20187%
202211%

WHO’s 2022 survey covered nearly 280,000 young people across 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada. “Problematic” concerns loss of control and negative consequences, not all social media use.

Read WHO’s findings and recommendations ↗

What I take into the coaching room

  • How does your child protect their attention?
  • Do they think critically about digital tools?
  • Where do they feel connected?

We use their answers to choose practical goals. These population studies do not evaluate the coaching offered here or establish that coaching causes better academic results.

The parent reading shelf

Begin with strengths,
confidence and flourishing.

Positive psychology explores the conditions that help people flourish, while making room for difficulty. Book links lead to publisher information and available samples; free introductions and papers are labelled. The summaries are paraphrases, and the family and reading questions are original prompts written for this website.

Book · Start with the bigger picture

Flourish

Martin E. P. Seligman

An accessible introduction to wellbeing through positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Useful for parents thinking about how achievement fits within a fulfilling life.

Family question: When does your child feel interested, connected or proud of a worthwhile effort?

Read the publisher’s book overview ↗
Book · A deeper practical reference

Character Strengths Interventions

Ryan M. Niemiec

A practitioner’s field guide connecting strengths research with activities and reflection. For parents who want to understand how strengths such as curiosity, kindness and perseverance can become practical resources.

Family question: Which strength did your child use today, and where might it help again?

Book overview & sample chapters ↗
Free introduction · Explore together

Meet the 24 character strengths

VIA Institute on Character

A readable introduction to the VIA character strengths. Begin by noticing strengths in everyday behaviour and discussing when they are useful. This page can be read without taking a survey.

Family question: What do you notice in yourself that a school report might miss?

Explore the strengths ↗
Free explanation · A short starting point

Understanding PERMA

Positive Psychology Center · University of Pennsylvania

The university’s explanation of Seligman’s wellbeing framework. A useful companion to Flourish for exploring engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment alongside positive emotion.

Family question: Which part of wellbeing would benefit from a little more attention this week?

Read the PERMA introduction ↗
Free research paper · Further reading

Positive Psychology Progress

Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson

A foundational 2005 paper examining positive psychology and activities such as using strengths in new ways. Helpful for understanding the research behind the ideas; its findings are not a promise of results for an individual teenager.

Reading question: Who took part, what was measured and how might that differ from my child’s situation?

Read the full paper (PDF) ↗
Book · Professional reference

50 Top Tools for Coaching

Gillian Jones & Ro Gorell · Kogan Page

A collection of coaching frameworks and exercises. Parents can use it to understand the range of tools a coach may draw on; the young person’s needs determine which approach is useful.

Coaching question: What is this exercise intended to help with, and how will we know whether it is useful?

Explore the book at Kogan Page ↗
Trusted places to explore

Support for parents.
Standards for coaching.

Choose the source that fits your question: everyday communication, a concern about wellbeing, or how to select professional support.

UNICEF · Talking with your teenager

Practical guidance on listening, empathy and communication. A useful starting point when conversations at home have become tense.

Read the communication guide ↗

UNICEF · Growing self-confidence

Psychologist Lisa Damour explains ways parents can support confidence as teenagers become more independent.

Explore confidence advice ↗

YoungMinds · Parent A–Z

A UK charity’s guides to feelings, behaviour, school difficulties and mental health, with routes to further support.

Find a parent guide ↗

WHO · Teens, screens and wellbeing

International evidence on social media and gaming, including the difference between ordinary use and patterns that disrupt daily life.

Read the findings ↗

International Coaching Federation

A professional body’s introduction to collaborative, goal-focused coaching and the kinds of development people seek through it. General guidance, not evidence of a guaranteed result for a child.

Understand professional coaching ↗

EMCC Global · Professional accreditation

Learn what individual accreditation assesses and why experience, supervision and continuing development matter when choosing a coach.

Read the accreditation standards ↗

Global Code of Ethics

The shared professional code for coaches, mentors and supervisors. Helpful for understanding the standards and accountability a coaching relationship should involve.

Explore the code and its purpose ↗

Choosing a type of coaching

A plain-English comparison of learning, life, performance and executive coaching, and how I combine positive psychology with practical educational support.

Compare coaching approaches →
Ideas behind the work

Key authors and frameworks.

Open an author’s entry for a short explanation and a source to explore.

Ryan M. NiemiecStrengths in practice

Niemiec connects the science of character strengths with practical reflection and activities. In coaching, the emphasis is on recognising strengths and using them thoughtfully in a particular situation.

Explore the source ↗
Martin SeligmanFlourishing & PERMA

PERMA explores positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. These are possible contributors to wellbeing, not five boxes every young person must tick.

Explore the source ↗
Christopher Peterson & Martin SeligmanCharacter strengths

The VIA classification offers a language for 24 strengths. Coaching can explore their use, context, balance and connection to meaningful direction.

Explore the source ↗
Carol RyffPsychological wellbeing

Ryff looks beyond feeling good to autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relationships, purpose in life and self-acceptance.

Explore the source ↗
Edward Deci & Richard RyanMotivation

Self-Determination Theory highlights autonomy, competence and relatedness as conditions that can support higher-quality motivation and wellbeing.

Explore the source ↗
C. R. SnyderHope

Hope theory separates agency—the energy to pursue a goal—from pathways—the ability to find workable routes. Both matter when a student feels stuck.

Explore the source ↗
Ann MastenResilience

Masten’s ‘ordinary magic’ perspective locates resilience in everyday systems such as relationships, routines, skills and opportunities—not toughness alone.

Explore the source ↗
Peter Salovey & John MayerEmotional intelligence

Their ability model concerns recognising, using, understanding and managing emotional information. It is not constant cheerfulness, mind-reading or proof of character.

Explore the source ↗
Angela Duckworth and colleaguesGrit & perseverance

Grit opens discussion about sustained pursuit of long-term goals. It should include purpose, support and the wisdom to rest, adapt or change direction.

Explore the source ↗
Jon Kabat-Zinn; Bishop and colleaguesMindfulness

Mindfulness involves attending to present experience with openness and curiosity. Brief practices are optional tools—not forced calm, treatment or a requirement to empty the mind.

Explore the source ↗
Michael StegerMeaning in life

Steger distinguishes the presence of meaning from the search for it. Either can support a thoughtful conversation about values, transition and direction.

Explore the source ↗
Anthony Grant; Steve de Shazer & Insoo Kim BergCoaching & solutions

Goal-directed and solution-focused approaches invite preferred futures, exceptions, resources and attainable next steps while keeping the client in charge.

Explore the source ↗
Sin & Lyubomirsky; Seligman and colleaguesPositive interventions

Positive psychological interventions are intentional activities that may support constructive feelings, behaviour and thinking. Average effects do not guarantee an individual result.

Explore the source ↗
A thoughtful first step

Let’s talk about
what your child needs.

Your child may need a calmer way to approach school, the courage to speak up, or help finding a first step when everything feels a little too much. We begin with their experience and what matters to your family.

  • Feel understood. Space to talk about friendships, expectations and the things that are hard to put into words.
  • Find a manageable next step. A practical focus, from getting started on homework to handling a setback or a school move.
  • Grow their own inner coach. Helpful self-talk, awareness of their strengths and greater confidence to make decisions.

Where do we begin?

With a complimentary 15–20-minute parent conversation.

  • Share what you are noticing.
  • Ask the questions on your mind.
  • Explore whether coaching feels like a useful next step.
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For ages 11–19, the language, activities and parent involvement are adapted to your child’s age and readiness. You do not need to arrive with all the answers.