Coaching Episode: Drawing the Line with Grace - Confident Boundaries and Open Communication, with Jane
Jane's family's relationship is pretty good, thanks to the many tools she's been learning and practicing in The Stream. Her sons are honest with her, they respect each other, and Jane's husband actively participates in their recovery process. But after both sons were home for a holiday visit, Jane realized she needed to address a boundary violation that occurred during their stay. We spoke for this episode the day her son was coming home, and the conversation could potentially happen - but should it?
Trading Control & Punishment for Respect & Emotional Intelligence, with Ann Coleman
After watching her brother's life cut short by substance use, Ann Coleman was intimately familiar with its dangers. So when her son - who already suffered from anxiety and depression - started using marijuana, hallucinogens and opiates, her trauma and instincts of fear and control kicked in hard. Looking back, Ann recognizes that at the time she believed her son was solely to blame for the unraveling of the relationship. Now, she knows better.
Learn From My Mistakes If Your Child Is Struggling With Substance Use, with Julie Merberg
When Julie Merberg returned home from a work trip to find a scale and a pile of baggies on the living room table, she knew her son's involvement with substances was getting out of control. Foreshadowing her current work with Hopestream, Julie had already formed her own neighborhood support group of parents after her 16-year-old son began abusing Xanax and marijuana. As with so many of us, Julie and her husband were trying to change their son’s behavior with punishment and control, but found that it only made him more oppositional and defiant.
happiness and joy are not the same (and why it matters for parents), with Alex Stavros, CEO of Embark Behavioral Health
Sometimes, parents seeking guidance and comfort during difficult times are told to “choose happiness.” My guest on this episode believes instead, we should be choosing joy. Alex Stavros is the CEO of Embark Behavioral Health, a leading network of premiere youth outpatient centers and residential programs. Their “big hairy audacious goal” is driving down youth anxiety, depression, and suicide from all-time highs of today to all-time lows by 2028.
the intersection of adoption and substance use, with Eric Fawson, LCSW
Numerous studies show that adopted children are significantly more likely to develop substance use disorders. Is this true? If so, why? And how can parents of adopted children support and guide them through those tendencies? In this episode I’m speaking with Eric Fawson, who’s been practicing therapy for more than 15 years, focusing on attachment, trauma, and the substance misuse that often accompanies these issues.
how adventure therapy can offer young adults life-long tools for mental health & resilience, with Andrew Taylor
In this episode, I’m talking with the founder of Pure Life Adventure Therapy, Andrew Taylor. He shares how Adventure Therapy differs from Wilderness Therapy and specifically supports young adults experiencing isolation, anxiety, and depression. While it’s not designed to support young people in active addiction or those who are newly sober, it’s a powerful combination of nature, fun, and deep therapy.