coaching episode #2: dealing with manipulation, parenting paralysis, and feeling guilty about holding boundaries
Episode 92 brenda zane Episode 92 brenda zane

coaching episode #2: dealing with manipulation, parenting paralysis, and feeling guilty about holding boundaries

In this episode, I have the honor of coaching Cheryl as she deals with manipulation from her son who is in a residential treatment program and struggles with guilt around holding boundaries in her family. Cheryl was brutally honest about her struggles and you’ll hear how going back to things that have worked in the past can lead you to new solutions.

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The Final Fix: an unflinching documentary investigating a radical, 49-year old technology that could change everything we know about addiction and recovery, with Director Norman Stone
Episode 83 brenda zane Episode 83 brenda zane

The Final Fix: an unflinching documentary investigating a radical, 49-year old technology that could change everything we know about addiction and recovery, with Director Norman Stone

If your son graduated from high school, was a nationally ranked tennis player, went to West Point, became an Army Ranger, served in Afghanistan, and went to law school, you might think all was good. But for Tripp Johnson, who achieved all of these markers of external success, life wasn't all good.

Tripp’s story takes us from sourcing drugs off the Dark Web to law school, a yoga mat, and ultimately, creating a whole-person focused treatment program for guys struggling with substance use.

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human flourishing & unconventional recovery; finding personal fulfillment & challenging the status quo in addiction treatment, with Tripp Johnson
Episode 81 brenda zane Episode 81 brenda zane

human flourishing & unconventional recovery; finding personal fulfillment & challenging the status quo in addiction treatment, with Tripp Johnson

If your son graduated from high school, was a nationally ranked tennis player, went to West Point, became an Army Ranger, served in Afghanistan, and went to law school, you might think all was good. But for Tripp Johnson, who achieved all of these markers of external success, life wasn't all good.

Tripp’s story takes us from sourcing drugs off the Dark Web to law school, a yoga mat, and ultimately, creating a whole-person focused treatment program for guys struggling with substance use.

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insurance coverage for substance use, addiction and mental health; parity, denials and tips for getting treatment covered, with Virginia Holleman
Episode 79 brenda zane Episode 79 brenda zane

insurance coverage for substance use, addiction and mental health; parity, denials and tips for getting treatment covered, with Virginia Holleman

When Virginia Holleman's son finally entered in-patient treatment for his substance use, she thought things would get easier, especially since her company-sponsored insurance covered his treatment. Or so she thought. In this episode, you'll learn about the Federal Parity Act, what it means, how it's relevant to your situation, and what you can do to have the best chance at getting your child's treatment covered.

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the importance of grief and grieving, and why we get it wrong most of the time, with Leslie Barber
Episode 78 brenda zane Episode 78 brenda zane

the importance of grief and grieving, and why we get it wrong most of the time, with Leslie Barber

Grief is right up there with politics, sex & religion as "things not to talk about" for a lot of people. And grief doesn't only apply to the impact of someone dying, it's much broader and impacts every single one of us...so why is it so taboo in our culture? Leslie Barber knows grief all too well after suddenly losing her husband to cancer, in this episode, shares thoughts for parents who are grieving the "normal" things that go along with raising teens when they veer off course and your now-normal looks very different from what you'd anticipated. Leslie also helps us understand what ambiguous and anticipatory grief is and why it's so relevant to parents of kids struggling with substance use.

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hope for weary parents; from living in a park to helping re-build lives, with Mark Pepper
Episode 76 brenda zane Episode 76 brenda zane

hope for weary parents; from living in a park to helping re-build lives, with Mark Pepper

Parents of adult children who are living in active addiction are true warriors and if this describes you, this episode will give you hope and knowledge that people can and do recover - even if they're 39 years old, living in a park and eating from garbage cans. For parents of younger teens and adults, you will definitely want to hear what my guest, Mark Pepper, has to say about things his parents and family did that moved him toward recovery. They're things you can do no matter the age of your son or daughter or how long they've been using substances.

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substance use, self-harm, anxiety, poor mental health: dangers of teens striving for perfection and achievement, with Stanford's Denise Pope, Ph.D.
Episode 75 brenda zane Episode 75 brenda zane

substance use, self-harm, anxiety, poor mental health: dangers of teens striving for perfection and achievement, with Stanford's Denise Pope, Ph.D.

To say that high school and college students today are under massive pressure to "succeed" would be an understatement and no one knows more about why that's true than Denise Pope, Ph.D., senior lecturer for Stanford's Graduate School of Education and co-founder of the non-profit, Challenge Success.

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rethinking drinking when our kids struggle with substances; why and how you might consider a change, with Casey Davidson
Episode 74 brenda zane Episode 74 brenda zane

rethinking drinking when our kids struggle with substances; why and how you might consider a change, with Casey Davidson

This episode explores that sometimes uncomfortable topic of parents' drinking when they have a son or daughter struggling with substances, and provides non-judgemental information and ideas on how to make a change if you decide it’s right for you. It'll help you completely reframe how you think about alcohol's role in your life, and how this important change might be a big step in role-modeling healthy behavior and coping skills for your children.

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a 2021 reality report from inside the walls of teen mental health and substance use treatment: are the kids ok?
Episode 72 brenda zane Episode 72 brenda zane

a 2021 reality report from inside the walls of teen mental health and substance use treatment: are the kids ok?

The siblings. What's happening to our other kids when we have one struggling with lifestyle choices, substance use, or mental health issues? How are they being impacted? What do they know? What should they know, and when? I figured the best way to answer these questions would be to talk with my son, who watched his older brother go through "it" and share his thoughts; what he saw, how he felt, and the impact it's had on his life.

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watching from the sidelines; a sibling's vantage point on his brother's risky lifestyle, drug use and recovery, with Marco Narciso
Episode 70 brenda zane Episode 70 brenda zane

watching from the sidelines; a sibling's vantage point on his brother's risky lifestyle, drug use and recovery, with Marco Narciso

The siblings. What's happening to our other kids when we have one struggling with lifestyle choices, substance use, or mental health issues? How are they being impacted? What do they know? What should they know, and when? I figured the best way to answer these questions would be to talk with my son, who watched his older brother go through "it" and share his thoughts; what he saw, how he felt, and the impact it's had on his life.

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shattering the youth treatment mold and getting real about drugs, alcohol and mental health, with Wes Robins & Zac Sweat of Eternal Strength
Episode 69 brenda zane Episode 69 brenda zane

shattering the youth treatment mold and getting real about drugs, alcohol and mental health, with Wes Robins & Zac Sweat of Eternal Strength

Wes Robins and Zac Sweat are passionate about helping young people heal and have opened a therapeutic healing center outside of Atlanta, GA to do just that. Eternal Strength Therapeutic Youth Center is an outpatient program without a program, where each client is met with a tailor-made set of activities and therapies that work best for them and their family.

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what are CRAFT and harm reduction, and can they work with teens and young adults who are misusing drugs or alcohol, with Dee-Dee Stout
Episode 65 brenda zane Episode 65 brenda zane

what are CRAFT and harm reduction, and can they work with teens and young adults who are misusing drugs or alcohol, with Dee-Dee Stout

Dee-Dee Stout is a force to be reckoned with in the world of substance use treatment and specifically in the area of harm reduction. She’s in long-term recovery herself and is an author, coach, speaker and professor. In this episode, Dee-Dee shares much knowledge and wisdom from her work with families and organizations related to CRAFT, motivational interviewing and harm reduction. It’s a must-listen for parents who aren’t finding success with traditional treatment programs or who are just looking for ways to improve the communication between themselves and their child.

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your child isn’t the patient: the role parents need to play when a teen or young adult is misusing drugs or alcohol, with Rebekah Tayebi
Episode 63 brenda zane Episode 63 brenda zane

your child isn’t the patient: the role parents need to play when a teen or young adult is misusing drugs or alcohol, with Rebekah Tayebi

Rebekah Tayebi has been working with families in a variety of therapeutic settings for 18 years and has valuable insights for parents when they have a child who needs help with mental health issues or substance use. An important one is that your child isn't and shouldn't be identified as the "patient" or client. Listen in to hear why.

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the wild recovery story helping make sober high school an option for teens, with Seth Welch
Episode 48 brenda zane Episode 48 brenda zane

the wild recovery story helping make sober high school an option for teens, with Seth Welch

Parenting a teen or young adult through substance use or addiction is a massive challenge, but layering on the complexity of a child who is questioning their sexual identity or openly part of the LGBTQ+ community makes it even more difficult. This episode is a must-listen for parents who are wondering how to approach their child with questions around sexuality and identity, or who have an openly gay or transgender child who’s also struggling with substance use. It’s complex, it’s confusing and it’s crucial to have this conversation.

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the marijuana episode: the real deal about teens, weed and addiction with Dr. Nzinga Harrison
Episode 46 brenda zane Episode 46 brenda zane

the marijuana episode: the real deal about teens, weed and addiction with Dr. Nzinga Harrison

If there's one topic that worries and frustrates parents everywhere, it's marijuana. Cannabis, weed, MJ, whatever you want to call it, when your teen or young adult child is using it, or using it too much, it's hard to know what to do. This episode is a MUST-LISTEN for parents who are concerned about their child's marijuana use because Dr. Nzinga Harrsion breaks down the real deal for you, giving practical advice and sharing some alarming information about what we may think of as an “ok” substance.

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adolescent substance use and recovery in the LGBTQ+ community, with Beck Gee-Cohen
Episode 45 brenda zane Episode 45 brenda zane

adolescent substance use and recovery in the LGBTQ+ community, with Beck Gee-Cohen

Parenting a teen or young adult through substance use or addiction is a massive challenge, but layering on the complexity of a child who is questioning their sexual identity or openly part of the LGBTQ+ community makes it even more difficult. This episode is a must-listen for parents who are wondering how to approach their child with questions around sexuality and identity, or who have an openly gay or transgender child who’s also struggling with substance use. It’s complex, it’s confusing and it’s crucial to have this conversation.

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a simple parenting tool that helped save my sanity and influenced my addicted son with Brenda Zane
Episode 44 brenda zane Episode 44 brenda zane

a simple parenting tool that helped save my sanity and influenced my addicted son with Brenda Zane

Every once in a while something comes along and works, and you're shocked because life can feel like an endless series of failures when your teen or young adult child is misusing substances. When I found the CRAFT method of parenting a child in addiction, I was skeptical because it seemed too simple - but sometimes simple is what you need. This episode will introduce you to one of the tools in the CRAFT method toolbox which is incredibly simple to incorporate into your day to day life and can significantly improve the overall tone and relationship with your son or daughter.

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why do they do what they do? answers on addiction from one who’s lived It, with Stacy Eakman (parts 1 & 2)
Episode 43 brenda zane Episode 43 brenda zane

why do they do what they do? answers on addiction from one who’s lived It, with Stacy Eakman (parts 1 & 2)

Nearly every parent of a child who’s living in addiction has the same questions, like, “why do they keep taking drugs or drinking alcohol when it’s ruining their life, making them sick, killing their family, and pretty much everything in their life?” or, “why do they do things that are so high risk, and obviously have bad outcomes?”

In this 2-part season opener, you’ll hear a mind-blowing story of an all-American baseball star who goes from imagining a Major League Baseball career to being broke, addicted to heroin and cocaine, and stealing anything he could from his loving and caring parents.

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