Cami luppino, a new mom in Armonk, couldn’t get her five-month-old daughter, Gracie, to bed. It wasn’t for lack of effort. She studied four books about kids’ sleep and scoured parenting websites for pointers. Other moms passed on tips. None of it worked.
It took a visit from Catherine Pearlman, a licensed social worker from New Rochelle with a pre-med degree from Bucknell University and a master’s in social work from New York University, to finally get the
Luppino family some rest. Pearlman met with the Luppinos, observed them and Gracie at home, and, in just two weeks had the entire family sleeping soundly. “Before Catherine worked with us, we were really grabbing at straws,” Luppino says.
As the Family Coach, Pearlman, 36, parachutes into Westchester homes for $500 to guide frazzled parents through sleeping problems, toilet training, breaking reliance on bottles or pacifiers, peer-pressure demands, and other common developmental issues. After observing the family, Pearlman provides a detailed evaluation and plan of action. As part of her fee, she visits the family during a two-week period to coach them along and track their progress, and keeps in contact via phone between visits.
The mother of two toddlers, Pearlman can empathize with overwhelmed parents. “No parent has it easy—I’ve had my share of struggles and can relate to parents who are really exhausted by their children.”
// Ted Boscia
