About Sarah
Sarah MacKay Lynch, M.A.
Certified Parent Coach | Former Educator | Bay Area
Sarah MacKay Lynch is a certified Parent Coach specializing in working with parents of teenagers and young adults who struggle with mental health, behavioral and developmental challenges. A native Californian and based in the Greater Bay Area, Sarah brings both professional training and lived experience to her work with families. She supports parents navigating challenges such as school refusal, depression, anxiety and technology and substance overuse as well as "failure to launch." Sarah offers pragmatic parenting strategies that reduce family conflict and promote solid and loving connections.
Professional Background & Credentials
Sarah holds a Master's degree in Education and spent over a decade as a high school teacher before transitioning to parent coaching. She is certified as a Parent Coach through Parent Coach Professionals and is a member of the International Coach Federation and NATSAP (National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs).
Her unique combination of educational expertise, coaching certification, and personal experience navigating the residential treatment system with her own family gives her deep insight into both the systemic challenges families face and the emotional toll of parenting a struggling child.
Areas of Expertise
Sarah specializes in coaching parents through:
Mental Health & Emotional Challenges: Supporting parents whose teens struggle with anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and other mood disorders
Neurodevelopmental Differences: Guiding families raising children with ADHD, executive function challenges, autism spectrum differences, and other learning profiles
Behavioral Issues: Working with parents facing defiance, school refusal, substance use, gaming addiction, and social media dependency
Young Adult Transitions: Helping families navigate the complex transition to adulthood, including college planning, gap years, and "failure to launch" situations
System Navigation: Supporting parents as they work with schools, therapists, psychiatrists, and residential treatment programs to find the right level of care for their child
Her Approach
Sarah's coaching philosophy centers on a fundamental truth: sustainable change in the family system starts with the parent. Rather than focusing solely on fixing the child's behavior, Sarah works with parents to:
Develop emotional regulation skills and learn to respond rather than react
Build capacity to stay grounded and lead with intention, even in crisis moments
Create boundaries that protect the entire family while supporting the struggling child
Navigate the mental health and educational systems with clarity and confidence
Process their own grief, anger, resentment, and fear in a healthy way
Recognize small wins and maintain hope during long, difficult journeys
Her approach is collaborative, strength-based, and deeply practical. She draws from evidence-based coaching frameworks while tailoring every strategy to the unique dynamics of each family.
Personal Experience
Sarah is the mother of a now-launching young adult who experienced significant mental health challenges during adolescence. Her family's journey through the residential treatment system—with all its complexity, heartbreak, and ultimate growth—informs every aspect of her coaching practice. She understands firsthand the fear, exhaustion, overwhelm, anger, and isolation that comes with parenting a complicated child.
Professional Development & Affiliations
Sarah is committed to ongoing professional development and has completed specialized training with:
Applied Depth
Hidden ADHD
Autism Experts
NEABPD (New England Adolescent Borderline Personality Disorder Continuing Education)
NICABM (National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine)
She is a member of the International Coach Federation and NATSAP, and collaborates regularly with Family Sanity and other organizations supporting families in crisis.
Why Parents Choose Sarah
Parents seek out Sarah's coaching because she offers something rare: true understanding. She's been in the trenches. She knows what it's like to field calls from school administrators, to sit in emergency psychiatric evaluations, to make impossible decisions about treatment options, and to wonder if things will ever get better.
But she also knows that with the right support, parents can find their footing again. They can rebuild connection with their child. They can learn to trust themselves as parents. And they can create family dynamics that support everyone's wellbeing—not just the child in crisis.
Sarah's expertise isn't just professional—it's deeply personal. She's navigated the residential treatment system with her own family and understands the fear, exhaustion, and hope that comes with parenting a struggling child.
Certification and Experience
Certificate of Parent Coaching, Parent Coach Professionals--Bend ORE, 2018
Master of Arts in Education (TESOL), School for International Training, 2009
Secondary Teaching Credential, Holy Names University, 1993
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1986
Member: International Coaching Federation (ICF) and National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP)
Parent Support Group Co-Leader: Family Sanity; Family Connections—NEABPD
Sarah also volunteers as an alumna C0-Facilitator for the La Europa Parent-to-Parent Support group.