Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health

ABOUT THE EPISODE: 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 identity. It's overwhelming to know which aspect of these to address first, or do you address them all at once? Sean Garcia is a licensed therapist in Northern California and...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Oh, the places we go in our minds and thoughts when we have a child struggling with substances and mental health. I've been there and know many parents struggle with not letting their thoughts paralyze them in the day-to-day ups and downs they experience. In this episode I cover nine of the most common unhelpful and unhealthy thinking patterns parents fall into and talk abo...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: In this coaching episode, you'll hear the frustration, confusion and sadness a mom experiences when her 16-year-old son returns from wilderness and residential treatment only to hate where he lives, return to smoking pot, barely makes an effort at school, and doesn't want to be part of the family. On the other hand, he's independent, has a job, accepts natural con...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: 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 solutions or resources. Steve Sawyer is an expert in trauma and adolescents and joined me for a deeply educational and enlightening conversatio...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: There's never a shortage of discomfort, distress, or triggers when you have a son or daughter who's misusing drugs or alcohol. You can live in a constant state of unrest and feel as if you have no control over anything. Taking a bit of inspiration from a Peloton instructor during my ride the other day, I share in this episode how parents can use simple rituals to withs...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When you're the mom of a teen who's been struggling with addiction for years it can be easy to get discouraged and frustrated. It's hard to understand why it happens to your family, difficult to watch other people's kids do well, and you wonder what's the right next thing to do. In this coaching/inspiration episode, you'll meet Cielo, a mom who&apos...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Dr. Brad Reedy is a household name in the world of adolescent mental health and substance use treatment, is founder of a well-respected wilderness therapy program, Evoke, author of two books on parenting, and podcast host of over 450 episodes of Finding You, so sitting down and chatting was quite an honor. Dr. Reedy and I talked about a wide range of topics mostly focused on a p...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: In the past 2 years, I've had the privilege of speaking with over 50 of the top experts in the fields of psychology, addiction, adolescents, parenting, and specific treatment modalities. I've asked the hard questions, listened with curiosity, and dug deep to find the right people to help parents who have a child experimenting with or addicted to drugs or alcohol. Throu...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you have a son or daughter with ADD or ADHD you already know the struggle...especially if it's not officially diagnosed and you're floundering with the very real symptoms. You probably also know about self-medicating with marijuana and the slippery slope that follows. Dr. Ned Hallowell, prolific author (most recently ADHD 2.0) and renowned ADD specialist joined me f...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Our coaching episodes are always hugely popular and today you'll get to hear how Mandy is dealing with a high-risk teenager who's been to residential treatment and is now home, returning to old habits (marijuana) and friends, and is newly on probation...⁠ ⁠ Plus she works for the city she lives in, so from the police chief to the judge who sentenced her son, all eyes a...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: In this quick, solo episode I share two important concepts that will help as you work to find ways to communicate with a child who's misusing drugs or alcohol.  Finding positivity and giving your son or daughter positive reinforcement can be difficult when things are chaotic and life feels out of your control. I share a concept called micro-dosing positivity which can work...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Erica Lubetkin is a therapist who is certified in CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) and shares her insights and ideas on how parents can be better equipped to deal with a lapse or full relapse with their teen or young adult child.  We discuss a range of topics, including: What exactly is CRAFT and what's different about a CRAFT vs traditional approach? How...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Calling all the dads…this one’s for you. Dads go through their own unique challenges when their son or daughter is struggling with mental health and substance misuse, and I had the chance to talk all about it with experienced dad turned parent coach, Andy Goldstrom.  You'll hear how Andy navigated a busy career and his marriage while working to find help and resources for h...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: It's a wrap! 2021 held so many amazing things, and frustrating things (aka COVID) so to send the year out with a bang, I gathered up some of the most downloaded episodes of Hopestream and have put together a compilation for you. These 10 episode snippets will give you a good foundation for themes of 2021 and will probably pique your interest to learn more by listening to th...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you only listen to one podcast episode between now and 2022 make it this one. Parents are often in the dark about the very real, present, and lurking killer that's right in their kid's backpack or coat pocket. Pills labeled Oxy, Percocet, or Xanax, but which are illegal fentanyl, in doses high enough to kill several people. In this extremely important episode I cove...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: 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 her struggles with guilt around holding boundaries in her family.  She also talks about "parenting paralysis" which happens when she's feeling overwhelmed, unsure and stuck. Cheryl was brutally honest about her struggles w...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Ryan Hampton is one of those people who instantly exudes his passion and energy for helping people impacted by addiction. In this episode, I sat down with Ryan to talk about his newest book, Unsettled: How the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Failed the Victims of the American Overdose Crisis and how it impacted him personally. Ryan served as co-chair of the official unsecured creditor&...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you've ever wondered if recovery is a real thing, you absolutely must hear Jeremy Melloul's incredible story of recovery and giving back. You'll hear how a young man from an ambitious immigrant family found the relief of alcohol at age 11 before traveling a long and painful journey of addiction, eventually living off of Twizzlers, peanut butter cups, and heroin...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: 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?  Because c...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Holidays and special occasions can go from being magical, fun times with family to days we approach with apprehension and even dread when complicated family dynamics are at play. These feelings couldn't be more present than for parents who have kids struggling with substance use and addiction or who are currently away from home in a treatment program. And for moms and dads...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Welcome to the first coaching episode, these are meant to be another tool in your toolbox as you hear how other families are navigating life, straight from their homes. Today I have the honor of coaching Casie around the various challenges she and her husband face now that their 19-year-old son is home from treatment and living with them. It's a tricky time of transition wi...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: For anyone trapped in the cycle of addiction - using substances, detoxing, trying to remain abstinent, then relapsing back to more use and more attempts at withdrawal, hearing there's a way to remove cravings without having to suffer the agony of withdrawal would almost be too good to be true. That's why Owen Fielding and the team at NET Recovery are kicking off FDA tr...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you use words like, "chaotic, busy, stressed out, or anxious" to describe yourself or your life, this is your episode. And for anyone with a child or someone you love who's struggling with substance use, this chaos is real and damaging to our bodies and minds. Lane Kennedy is known as a modern-day calm maker or calm coach. She's helped thousands of stresse...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: What to call an episode that covers lots of ground and has a variety of things included? The casserole episode! This short, solo episode will give you some personal updates, exciting changes coming for Hopestream, a bit about the healing power of community, book and documentary info, and more - basically a podcast casserole. It's short and sweet so grab your dog, hop in the...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Of all the alternative therapies currently used for treating addiction, N.E.T. (neuro-electric therapy) makes the boldest claims. Without any use of medication, it promises to bring its patients off their drugs of addiction in 5-7 days, with little or no withdrawal symptoms and no future cravings. Could that possibly be true? And if so, why isn't it available everywhere as...