Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health

ABOUT THE EPISODE: In a follow-up to episode 131 where I had a conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté about his new book, The Myth of Normal , I'm diving into four key insights I gleaned from the book and from our time together. While there are many more, these four elements of Gabor's overall message in the book and his work as a whole stood out, and I felt it was important to share them with...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Are you ready for a deeply personal and thought-provoking hour? Dr. Gabor Maté is well known for his unflinching look at childhood trauma and how it manifests in our lives, and he does not disappoint in this raw, honest, and candid conversation. I'm even the recipient of an impromptu therapy session looking at my parenting and childhood patterns, an essential piece of work...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: There are some thoughts, questions, and situations we face as parents of kids who are misusing substances that make us question our parenting, our sanity and even our humanity. Because these tricky topics don't often make it into the conversation, we're tackling them today as a way to air issues you may be wrestling with - but doing it in a safe, private place. Cathy C...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: One of the biggest challenges young people who are misusing drugs and alcohol face is identifying the plan for transitioning back to the “real world” post-treatment. Young people can become vulnerable because they feel they don’t belong anywhere as they start to rebuild a new and different life that doesn’t involve substances.  If they aren’t ready to hold down a job or enroll i...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Have you ever followed someone and their work so closely that you feel like you’re friends, but you’ve actually never met? That would be the case with today’s guest. I’m finally sitting down with Mark LaPalme, founder of Isaiah House, who celebrates 23 years of sobriety and has been instrumental in helping thousands of people find recovery.  In addition to all the incredible rec...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Have you ever felt overwhelmed when you realize just how many layers there are to the addiction that is derailing your son or daughter? When we get curious and focus on asking questions, it’s incredible what we can learn about our kids. For so many, an unrecognized mental health diagnosis is at the root of their pain and substance use.  My guest today is Tonia Ahern. She’s a mom...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If there is one thing you can count on when your child is misusing substances or struggling with addiction and the mental health issues that come with it - it's change . Change is a constant, and you can either have your world capsized by it, or you can be intentional about planning for it to lessen its impact on you and your family. Based on lessons learned from my own exp...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: I joke that this club of mine (The Stream Community) is the club you never want to find yourself needing an invite to. But here we are, doing this messy, exhausting, and entirely meaningful work together. I am so grateful yet another one of these moms is sharing her story with you.  In this coaching episode, I am joined by Jamie, a long-time member of The Stream. She shares the...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Mamas are so fierce. They are incredible protectors- and not just of their own children, but of the whole village. My guest today is Janet Janes, is a warrior mama and founder of MAPDA (Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse). She is bravely telling the story of the loss of her son to one methadone pill in hopes of saving others from this unimaginable loss.  Every five minutes,...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Research has shown that a positive, non-confrontational approach to helping our kids make positive changes in their lives is the most effective when they’re misusing substances. In this episode, I share three keys to shifting your words, actions, and mindset in a more positive direction using courage, confidence, and compassion.  After listening to this episode you'll walk...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: There are many stages of recovery, but one of the hardest to prepare for is when your child transitions home after treatment. Then factor in your semi-recovering child becoming a legal adult (but still needs support,) COVID, bullying, an eating disorder, and insincere friends and you’ve got a perfect storm of challenges. This is exactly the season Lynn, a member of the Stream Co...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: No matter where you are on the journey with a child misusing substances, chances are you've faced two very dangerous lies:  1. that you've failed as a parent, and/or 2. that you're alone in the fight for your child In this week's Hopestream episode, I have the honor of introducing you to five incredible women who, together in The Stream Community, have faced...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: “It’s not mine. I’m just carrying it for a friend.” Have you heard this one before? As many times as that line has been used, it’s still a really common cover in the moment we confront our kids.  Yet, sometimes our kids are really good at hiding their substance use or addiction because the signs are actually not obvious. It’s shocking and confusing when our incredible, thoughtfu...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Getting real this week about the mental and physical burnout and empathy fatigue we can feel as parents when we're trying our hardest with our kids who are struggling with substance use. It's not often talked about but it's real, so we'll dive into what it can feel like and 3 things you can start doing today to turn it around. You'll also hear a secret t...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: How does a parent cope when you have not one, but two kids struggling with substance misuse and all the issues that surround it? This episode provides inspiration and hope if you're trying to navigate this experience with your child from a mom who watched her family implode when her 17 and 19-year-old kids simultaneously spiraled out of control with drugs and alcohol. Cathy...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: This coaching episode covers a lot of ground with a mom who is doing so much right, yet she questions her actions due to lots of advice from others, her mom-intuition and the heightened sense of urgency from her nephew's recent fatal fentanyl poisoning. This mom and member of The Stream Community is co-parenting her college-age son with her ex-husband and while they're...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When your son or daughter refuses or can't seem to embrace abstinence, what do you do? Harm reduction is an approach that can help navigate your child to safer territory and...it's confusing . Dee Dee Stout is someone Psychology Today includes in their list of "the top 10 harm reduction names you should know" so I was thrilled she agreed to come back for a se...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: The concept of near enemies is helpful to understand when you’re working to parent from an intentional place and avoid unhealthy patterns with your son or daughter. In this episode, you’ll learn what a near enemy is and hear two common ones that show up when parenting a child with substance use issues. You'll discover why these sneaky and sometimes damaging emotional respon...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Sometimes, there's a story so unbelievable it's hard to know where to start when telling it. This is one of those. My guests are mother (Pattie Vargas) and daughter (Rebekah Mutch), and they trusted me with sharing their family's journey to hell plus the miraculous twist that no one saw coming. Intertwined with their family's dark tour through decades of addi...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) is an evidence-based approach to motivating and inviting someone to make changes in their behavior. It's proven to be an effective way for parents to help their kids who are misusing drugs or alcohol, and is easily accessible to learn and put into practice. In this episode, I invited CRAFT-certified therapist Erica Lubetki...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: It's a question asked by so many parents, "Am I doing enough?"  In this coaching episode Susan shares how her almost 18-year-old son isn't in legal trouble, is doing fairly well in school, works, and also smokes pot daily, which has her worried. She wonders if she'll regret it down the road if she doesn't engage him in formal treatment before he tur...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: You've likely seen the A&E show "Intervention" where families work with a professional team to encourage a loved one to go to drug or alcohol treatment, and wondered how much of that is reality vs. Hollywood show. In this episode, you'll hear from someone who's been an interventionist on the show, is a Master's Level Licensed Counselor, Board Ce...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you've ever wondered what dopamine has to do with the way we interact with decision making, pain-relief,  pleasure-seeking, addiction and basic human functioning, you're going to want to tune into this episode. I got to sit down with Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation; Finding Balance In The Age of Indulgence, to talk about all of this and more. Dopamine Nat...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: The emotional distress a parent feels when their child is struggling with or addicted to drugs or alcohol is incomprehensible to the average person. It can begin to debilitate you in ways that impact your day-to-day ability to cope, your health, career, friendships, and family relationships.   Through the lens of the second arrow principal, I share ways that parents can minimize...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: It's a cruel twist that just as we moms enter the perimenopause and menopausal phase of life, our kids are at the age when they may be experimenting with or addicted to drugs or alcohol. This combo is the perfect storm of hormones, uncertainty and emotions, and we're often not well equipped to manage it well. I reached out to my incredible doctor to chat about all thin...