About Us

Welcome to The Parent's Place!

I am Mika Gross, and I am happy you found The Parent’s Place.  As a wife, mother of three, and a marriage and family professional, I have developed a great interest over the years in figuring out what it takes to be a great parent.  I know one thing for sure:  It’s not easy!  It hasn’t been easy for me and my husband, our friends and family members, or anyone else we have ever met.  It seems that kids and the “issues” with raising kids have been repeated topics of both casual and deep discussion in our home, in the break room at work, with neighbors, and pretty well everywhere adults gather for any amount of time.  Having the privilege of working professionally with families, I have also seen how far parents will go to seek support and help for their kids and how desperate family life can become when things get out of sorts.  Children have a knack for eliciting their parents’ greatest vulnerabilities.

Yet it seems that consensus lies with the fact that no matter how “out of sorts” things can get sometimes - the stress, strain, and complication in the daily life of a parent - our kids still bring us the greatest joy we could ever know in life.  The love runs deep, the sacrifices come quite willingly, and the passion for their well-being abounds.  On base instinct we know that they are worth every ounce of energy we put into raising them.

When I became a parent again after having an only child for twelve years, I rededicated myself to gaining better knowledge of parenting.  It was a good thing, too, because the child that came into my life as my second-born certainly tested all I thought I knew about parenting the first one.  It seems many families have this story.  No two kids are alike.  What works for one doesn’t always do the job with another.  Then when number three (or four or five) comes along, we find ourselves out-numbered, and things really get interesting.  Surely there is a way to keep it between the lines and hopefully do some great things for our kids along the way….

The answer it seems to me after much study and even more practice, lies in the willingness of parents to intentionally embrace their role, build a solid relationship with their kids, create a healthy culture in the home, dedicate themselves to learning new things, and acquire specific parenting techniques and skills that aren’t necessarily instinctual.  There is much about parenting that can be learned, practiced, refined.  And doing so intentionally makes all the difference.  And so with this in mind, I created The Parent’s Place.  It was founded for you.

Whether you are a parent just hoping to get prepared, one encountering challenging behaviors, a couple struggling to get on the same page, a family facing changes because of divorce or remarriage, grandparents helping raise your grandchildren, or parents who wake up daily wondering how you might make it through all the chaos, I hope you will find there is something here that is valuable and worthy of your time.

All of the classes, small group studies, consultation and coaching services, links, and other information and opportunities you will find on this site represent what I believe to be sound knowledge in the practices and principles of parenting, child development, and family systems.  I encourage you to sign up for a class or session today, carve out the time, and give it a try.  You invest in the life of your child by investing in the most influential person in their life – you!


Our Team

Mika Gross

Mika Gross

Mika’s philosophy is that good information, genuine support, and a safe environment to explore and grow offer the greatest opportunity for clients to achieve their highest level of personal and familial success. Mika’s expertise includes co-parenting support, step and blended families, support for parents of ADHD, ODD, and Sensory-affected children, early childhood parenting, discipline and emotional management, and advising with family-owned businesses. As a passionate parent supporter and educator, a family advisor and coach, Mika has served hundreds of clients, and in so doing, developed unique approaches and tools to successfully address the most complex family situations.

Mika holds a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and is a 25-year professional in the fields of family therapy, family development and education, organizational management, and program development.

Erica Hruby

Erica Hruby

Erica is a tween and teen education specialist with over 25-year of professional experience working directly with tweens and teens in community, academic, and residential environments. In her work with hundreds of tweens and teens, she has seen it all...and she gets them!

Erica's down to earth approach makes her highly relatable and enables her to share proven methodologies, insights, and tips and tricks with parents. She is proud of her ability to help parents navigate their way through late childhood into high school and then into young adulthood.

Erica holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a focus on children and teens. She is a mother of two daughters ages 18 and 23 and is happily married to her high school sweetheart. Erica loves cruising, reading, and spending time with family.

leah-rundle-headshot

Leah Rundle, Parent Educator

Leah is a graduate of WSU (Psychology) and a mother of three that indulges in good coffee and snarky memes.  She is an entrepreneur, teacher, and parent educator. Leah enjoys working with parents who seek inclusive learning, support, and confidence in their parenting skills. She brings to her work the spirit of a life-long learner that values her clients and learns alongside them.
Email Leah here or inquire here for more information about classes or private education and support.