How Parents Can Transcend Shame – and Help Their Kids Do the Same, with Patrick Hawkins
Today we tackle the difficult topic of shame and how it can affect our entire families. As parents of kids who are misusing drugs or alcohol, it’s common to experience a profound sense of failure or guilt when their lives begin to spin out of control. And as today’s guest, Patrick Hawkins says, “How could you not?” For many of us, it can seem like our kids are entirely different than the people we raised.
addiction psychologist by day, parenting a child through addiction by night, with Julie
At the time Julie’s teenage son began misusing drugs, she had been a clinical psychologist specializing in addiction for more than 15 years. In her own words: “I know most of what there is to know, and we’re still here anyway. How did that happen?” This personal experience layered onto her academic expertise gives her a unique, holistic perspective that’s both enlightening and vulnerable.
recovery story: from drug-induced psychosis and homelessness to a stable life at age 22
I’m always happy to share testimony from individuals in recovery. Their stories give hope and perspective to families of young people currently working through substance misuse and treatment. The stories I’ve previously shared have almost always been from people in recovery for a decade or more, so today, you’ll hear from a young man who is 22, celebrating one-year substance-free and living a healthy, stable life.
Psychological Evaluations: A Tool to Help Gain Insight To Your Child’s Challenges And Strengths, With Dr. Alison Lafollette
For many parents, having their teen or young adult child undergo psychological evaluation can feel incredibly stressful. They worry that even talking to their son or daughter about the process can make it seem like they think their child is broken, or maybe even that they're crazy. My guest today is Dr. Alison LaFollette, a psychologist based in Salt Lake City with over a decade of experience conducting psychological and neuropsychological assessments. She joined me to clear up myths, misperceptions and questions about how a psychological evaluation can help families on their journey to find the right resources and treatment.
Dr. Gabor Maté on The Myth of Normal; the roots of our kids’ struggles, pressure on today’s parents, the need for community, and a path to healing
Dr. Gabor Maté is one of the world’s foremost experts on a range of topics including addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship between stress and illness. He’s the bestselling author of five books published in over thirty languages, and his newest book, The Myth of Normal, was the subject of our conversation. For parents seeking insight and direction about their kids who are struggling with mental health and substance use, you’ll find rich concepts to consider and bring into your family’s healing journey.
teasing apart the complexities of gender identity, neurodiversity, substance use and mental health in young people, with Sean Garcia
If there's a perfect storm of complexity and confusion for parents of adolescents and young adults it's the intersection of a mental health condition, neurodiversity, substance use and gender or sexual identity. It's overwhelming to know which aspect of these to address first, or do you address them all at once?
what parents need to know about substance use and trauma; what it is and isn't, and why we can't ignore it, with Steve Sawyer
Just hearing the word "trauma" can cause a parent's stomach to turn in knots and create feelings of guilt and regret. We believe we should be able to spare our kids from trauma and might push this aspect aside when seeking treatment options. Steve Sawyer is an expert in trauma and adolescents and joined me for a deeply educational and enlightening conversation around trauma, and why as parents, we need to understand it better.
demystifying co-occurring mental heath and substance use disorders; answers to all your questions with Mary Ann Badenoch, The Partnership To End Addiction
When a parent hears "co-occurring disorder" from a therapeutic professional it can be scary, daunting, and extremely confusing. Mental health disorders commonly accompany substance use in teens and young adults, and vice versa, yet it's hard to know which is which, is one more "primary" and how in the world do you go about treating one or both? This episode answers all the questions parents have when their child is dealing with both mental health and substance use disorders.
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.
things to do while your child is in treatment, for the first or 20th time, with Brenda Zane
It's a really common question parents have, "my son/daughter just went to treatment...now what?"If this is a place you find yourself, this episode will give you some assurance, guidance, and thoughts about what to do during this time of change. There can be so many mixed emotions from relief to sadness and even guilt...whether it's the first time your child is in treatment, or even if you've been down the treatment road many times.
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.
what does it mean to be “in recovery?” why it's confusing for parents and what we should focus on to help our kids make positive change, with Brenda Zane
In honor of September being National Recovery Month, I'm sharing an episode all about the confusing topic of "recovery." Does it mean total abstinence from all drugs and alcohol, forever? Are there “flavors” of recovery? If you're a parent or love someone who's working on overcoming addiction and you're confused about what recovery actually is or isn't - this is your episode.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.