Parenting Post-Wilderness: Parenting a Struggling Teen Before, During and After Treatment

FREE online workshop - June 24 from 5-630MT 
Respond Like Yoda (When Your Kid Is Acting Like Vader)
How to be grounded, avoid power struggles, and respond with clarity instead of reaction
Register at https://bethhillmancoaching.com/yoda

Bringing your teen home from treatment is something you've likely thought about for months. Maybe even longer.
You miss them. You want them home. And yet, if you're honest, you're also terrified.
What if they fall back into old patterns? What if treatment didn't "work"? What if all the progress disappears the moment they walk through the front door?
In this special conversation, I sit down with fellow parent coach and podcast host Brenda Zane to talk about one of the most challenging, and often overlooked, parts of the treatment journey: the first 90 days after treatment.
Many kids experience an emotional rollercoaster when they return home, and setbacks are more common than most parents realize. Unrealistic expectations can create unnecessary pressure on everyone involved. So let's talk about what the first 90 days after treatment really look like, what your teen may be experiencing beneath the surface, and how you can support both them and yourself through this challenging transition.
If your child is currently away in treatment, or has recently returned, this conversation will help you better understand what both you and your teen may be experiencing during the first 90 days after treatment.
In this episode on the first 90 days after treatment, we discuss:
Why bringing a teen home from treatment is often harder than parents expect
What teens may be experiencing emotionally, socially, and mentally after treatment
Why setbacks, slips, and "blips" are common during the first 90 days after treatment
The hidden challenges of rebuilding friendships and finding a sense of belonging
How treatment can leave teens with skills their peers don't yet have
The role expectations play in creating stress for both parents and teens
Why curiosity is more helpful than panic when challenges arise
The importance of creating a flexible home plan instead of relying on rigid contracts
How parental self-regulation can dramatically impact the transition home
Practical ways to stay grounded when fear, anxiety, and uncertainty show up

More about Brenda Zane
Brenda Zane is a Mayo Clinic Certified health coach and CRAFT-trained parent coach. After her son struggled for years with a high-risk lifestyle and addiction, she started Hopestream, a podcast and online community to prevent other parents from experiences like hers.

Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🧘Learn how to respond in hard moments, without losing your cool, the relationship, or yourself, inside my 6-week Boundaries Masterclass.
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Have a question or need support? You can email me at beth@bethhillmancoaching.com

You can support the show by:
Leaving a review
Subscribing to the show

And remember parents, the change begins with us.
FREE online workshop - June 24 from 5-630MT 
Respond Like Yoda (When Your Kid Is Acting Like Vader)
How to be grounded, avoid power struggles, and respond with clarity instead of reaction
Register at https://bethhillmancoaching.com/yoda

You want to help your teen be resilient and feel more confident and capable of handling life's challenges. But when they're struggling, whether with mental health, motivation, school, substances, or simply growing up,  it's easy to slip into protection mode. You try to shield them from pain, solve their problems, and prevent mistakes before they happen.
The problem? Confidence isn't built through protection. It's built through experience.
In this conversation, I sit down with clinical psychologist and adolescent mental health expert Dr. Jerry Weichman to explore the parenting tools that truly help teens build confidence and resilience. 
Why do so many parents feel overwhelmed and alone? How is today's digital world impacting families? And why is focusing on what you can control one of the most powerful mental health strategies available? We discuss it all.
Dr. Jerry shares the mindset shifts and practical tools he's used with thousands of families, including how parents can support a struggling teen without trying to control them, why resilience matters more than ever, and what it takes to create healthier family dynamics in a world full of stress, distractions, and uncertainty.
If you've ever wondered how to help your teen build confidence while also preserving your own sanity, this episode is for you.
In this episode on helping teens build confidence, we discuss:
Why helping your teen build confidence starts with changing your own mindset
The difference between protecting your child and building resilience
How today's digital world is affecting parents, teens, and family relationships
Why focusing on what you can control reduces stress and overwhelm
The parenting trap of trying to "fix" your teen's struggles
What to do when your teen knows the tools but refuses to use them
Why allowing mistakes can actually help your teen build confidence
How resilience protects teens from anxiety, depression, and hopelessness
Practical mental health strategies for both parents and teens
Why parents need support, tools, and compassion too
How Dr. Jerry's Raising Families platform helps parents navigate common family challenges

More about Dr. Jerry Weichman
Dr. Jerry Weichman, PsyD, a clinical psychologist, adolescent mental health specialist, and parenting expert, is the founder and creator of Raising Families, a free-to-access platform and trusted go-to resource for pro-active parents that provides real-life tools, systems and solutions for navigating today’s most common mental health challenges impacting children and families. 

Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🧘Learn how to respond in hard moments, without losing your cool, the relationship, or yourself, inside my 6-week Boundaries Masterclass.
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Have a question or need support? You can email me at beth@bethhillmancoaching.com

You can support the show by:
Leaving a review
Subscribing to the show

And remember parents, the change begins with us.
FREE online workshop - June 24 from 5-630MT 
Respond Like Yoda (When Your Kid Is Acting Like Vader)
How to be grounded, avoid power struggles, and respond with clarity instead of reaction
Register at https://bethhillmancoaching.com/yoda

Why is it that the harder you push for change, the more your teen seems to dig in their heels?
If you've ever found yourself repeating the same conversations, giving advice that goes nowhere, or feeling exhausted by your teen's resistance, you're not alone. Most parents assume that if their child would just understand the consequences of their choices, they'd make better decisions. But change rarely works that way.
In this episode, I sit down with therapist Jarrod Hoffman to explore what motivational interviewing can teach parents about helping teens change behavior. We unpack why lectures, advice, and persuasion often backfire, and why empathy, curiosity, and connection are far more powerful tools for creating lasting change.
Jarrod introduces the stages of change framework and explains how understanding where your teen is in the change process can completely transform the way you communicate with them. Instead of trying to force change before they're ready, you'll learn how to meet them where they are and create the kind of conversations that actually help them move forward.
Most importantly, we discuss why your relationship with your teen cannot be based on whether they change, and why investing in connection may be the most effective way to support growth over the long term.
In this episode on helping teens change behavior, we discuss:
Why parents often become counterproductive when trying to help their teen change
The stages of change and how to recognize where your teen is in the process
What pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance look like in real life
Why advice, lectures, and persuasion often create more resistance
How motivational interviewing can help parents support change more effectively
The difference between self-serving questions and curiosity-driven conversations
Why empathy is often more powerful than information
Practical phrases parents can use to create connection instead of defensiveness
How to reduce power struggles and improve healthy communication with your teen

Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🧘Learn how to respond in hard moments, without losing your cool, the relationship, or yourself, inside my 6-week Boundaries Masterclass.
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Have a question or need support? You can email me at beth@bethhillmancoaching.com

You can support the show by:
Leaving a review
Subscribing to the show

And remember parents, the change begins with us.
FREE online workshop - June 24 from 5-630MT 
Respond Like Yoda (When Your Kid Is Acting Like Vader)
How to be grounded, avoid power struggles, and respond with clarity instead of reaction
Register at https://bethhillmancoaching.com/yoda

When you grow up inside fear, survival, instability, or emotional chaos, those experiences don’t just disappear when you become an adult. They quietly shape the stories you carry about safety, relationships, success, control, and even what it means to be a “good” parent. And without realizing it, you might begin to pass those same narratives on to your own children.
In this deeply personal and thought-provoking conversation, I sit down with Kellyn Smythe to explore how intergenerational narratives and trauma get handed down through families, often without anyone consciously intending to do so. Kellyn shares the extraordinary story of growing up under a false identity after his mother fled an abusive relationship, spending years living in hiding, constantly carrying the belief that danger was always just around the corner. And his whole world was turned upside down once again when he learned the truth many years later.
But this episode isn’t just about Kellyn’s story. It’s about all of us.
It’s about the ways fear, anxiety, perfectionism, hypervigilance, and emotional survival patterns quietly move through generations. It’s about recognizing the narratives we inherited from our own parents and asking ourselves whether those stories truly belong to us… or to our children.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s about hope. Because awareness creates choice. And repair, connection, and new relational experiences really can begin changing the story.
In this episode on intergenerational narratives and passing on trauma to our children, we discuss:
How family narratives and survival patterns get passed down through generations
Kellyn’s experience growing up under a hidden identity
The impact of fear, hypervigilance, and perfectionism on parenting
Why many parents unknowingly pass their own anxiety and unresolved trauma onto their children
The connection between intergenerational trauma and family dynamics
How rupture and repair can create deeper connection within families
Why awareness is the first step toward changing generational patterns
The difference between acknowledging painful experiences and making them your identity
How new relational experiences help create healing and emotional resilience
Why repair and authentic connection matter more than perfection in parenting

Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🧘Learn how to respond in hard moments, without losing your cool, the relationship, or yourself, inside my 6-week Boundaries Masterclass.
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Have a question or need support? You can email me at beth@bethhillmancoaching.com

You can support the show by:
Leaving a review
Subscribing to the show

And remember parents, the change begins with us.
FREE online workshop - June 24 from 5-630MT 
Respond Like Yoda (When Your Kid Is Acting Like Vader)
How to be grounded, avoid power struggles, and respond with clarity instead of reaction
Register at https://bethhillmancoaching.com/yoda

Simple tasks that seem easy to you become overwhelming battles for your teen or young adult with ADHD. One small request turns into a massive blow-up. And when we don’t understand the ADHD brain, it can feel like they’re being disrespectful, lazy or even manipulative. 
In today’s episode, I’m joined by therapist and ADHD expert Debbie Murad to unpack what’s really happening underneath ADHD and emotional dysregulation in teens and young adults. Debbie explains why so many ADHD behaviors are misunderstood as intentional defiance when they’re actually rooted in brain development, executive functioning challenges, dopamine regulation, and overwhelm.
We also talk about the emotional toll ADHD takes on teens themselves. Because behind the missed assignments, emotional explosions, forgotten responsibilities, and impulsive behaviors, many teens are silently carrying shame, self-loathing, anxiety, and the exhausting feeling that they can never quite keep up with everyone else.
This conversation is especially important for parents who feel burned out, triggered, confused, or stuck in constant conflict with their teen. Because understanding what’s happening neurologically can completely change the way you respond, and ultimately strengthen the relationship with your child.
In this episode on ADHD and emotional dysregulation in teens, we discuss:
Why ADHD behaviors are often mistaken for disrespect or defiance
What emotional dysregulation actually looks like in teens or young adults with ADHD
The difference between supporting your child and over-accommodating them
Why teens with ADHD can become overwhelmed by seemingly “simple” tasks
How ADHD impacts self-esteem, shame, and relationships
Why parents often take ADHD behaviors personally
The connection between ADHD, impulsivity, dopamine, and addiction risk
How hyperfocus can become both a strength and a challenge
The link between ADHD, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, and burnout
How parents can become better advocates for their neurodivergent child
Why mindfulness and emotional regulation work for parents matters too
The importance of helping teens build executive functioning skills instead of doing everything for them
How understanding your child’s brain can transform your relationship with them

More about Debbie Murad
Debbie Murad brings over 30 years of expertise as a Clinical Social Worker, having worked with a wide spectrum of clients, including adolescents struggling with executive functioning, mental health and addiction issues.
As the founder and CEO of Beach Cities Gateway, a transitional program for emerging adults, Debbie specializes in guiding young people through the challenges of mental health, addiction, and executive functioning.

Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🧘Learn how to respond in hard moments, without losing your cool, the relationship, or yourself, inside my 6-week Boundaries Masterclass.
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Have a question or need support? You can email me at beth@bethhillmancoaching.com

You can support the show by:
Leaving a review
Subscribing to the show

And remember parents, the change begins with us.
FREE online workshop - June 24 from 5-630MT 
Respond Like Yoda (When Your Kid Is Acting Like Vader)
How to be grounded, avoid power struggles, and respond with clarity instead of reaction
Register at https://bethhillmancoaching.com/yoda