Parenting Post-Wilderness: Parenting a Struggling Teen Before, During and After Treatment

If last week’s episode on how to get your teen to wilderness left you with a few more questions on the topic, you’re in luck! The next two episodes, I’m joined by Education Consultant Gabriela Deambrosio to talk about everything transport and the role of Education Consultants. In this episode on transport options and education consultants, we discuss: The role of an Education Consultant & what...

So, you’ve made the decision you want to send your teen to wilderness. Now what? In this 4th episode in our wilderness series, we’ll walk you through your options for actually getting your teen to wilderness. Because even though you might not feel like you have a choice right now, there really are options. Generally speaking, your two options are to (1) force your child to go, or (2) give them a c...

When you’re considering wilderness for your teen, undoubtedly a lot of fears and concerns will come up.  What if wilderness will only make things worse? What if my child will never forgive me? What will people think? And so on… It is so normal to think these thoughts and feel these fears! Today, we will walk you through these and other common concerns and what you can actually do with them. If you...

How valuable would it be to hear from a teen who's been through it? Listen up, parents, because today, that's exactly what you're getting. And she’s sharing invaluable insights for parents of struggling teens and young adults. Evan shares her story leading up to wilderness and how wilderness helped her change her life and gain self-worth. We also discuss her relapse and how the supp...

Welcome back to the Wilderness Series! In this second episode, we’re discussing the factors that might indicate that it’s time to send your teen to wilderness. How do you know it’s the right time? Making the decision to send your teen to wilderness can be a very difficult one and even though we can’t tell you exactly when is the best time, in this episode we aim to help you make the best decision...

A podcast series specifically going over all the ins and outs of wilderness therapy - How does that sound!? I decided to answer all of the questions parents have around wilderness in a special series here on the Parenting Post-Wilderness podcast and share thoughts, ideas and information about wilderness specifically. It’s been around for decades and has received both negative and positive attentio...

Today, we’re continuing our conversation with Casie Fariello & we dive deeper into her son’s experience of going to wilderness and how he looks back at it now. Both Casie’s son and Seth agree that it’s not a black-and-white experience. After going through the process of wilderness, boarding school and eventually transitioning her son home, Casie founded a peer-led, online support group for par...

Going through life struggling with ADHD, Casie's son developed a core feeling of worthlessness. As a coping strategy, he turned to drugs, started running away from home, and even attempted suicide. “It took wilderness to get him to the point where he cared that he lived”  - Casie Fariello We’re so grateful to have Casie Fariello, parent of three and owner and founder of Other Parents Like Me...

As parents, we often have a good idea of what we want for our children and what we think is best for them. On the other hand, we have the child, who wants to walk their own journey and make their own decisions. It’s a tricky and nuanced topic and I can’t wait for you to hear my conversation with Seth about it.  In this episode on parents’ agenda vs. child’s personal journey we discuss: What makes...

Parent Rebecca is back to talk about what it was like bringing her daughter home directly from wilderness. What did it feel like? What were some of the conflicts in the first few weeks of her being home? At this moment, her daughter has been home for 1.5 years. It’s safe to say it has been a bumpy road. But what is it like now?’ In this episode parent interview, we discuss: What the first couple o...

We’re back with another parent interview in which Rebecca shares her story of sending her young daughter to wilderness. Rebecca openheartedly shares how her daughter showed out-of-bound behavior throughout her entire life, even when she was a baby. Things eventually took a turn for the worse and Rebecca and her husband decided to send their daughter to wilderness.  In this episode parent interview...

Do you ever feel in your gut that you should or shouldn’t do something, but you then take the opposite route? You ignore your inner knowing, overthink, look for justifications and betray yourself. Even though we are instinctual beings, we live in a society that teaches us that we’re not. And it takes practice to start listening to our instincts again and to build the skill of listening to our own...

So many well-intentioned therapists and people in the therapeutic industry suggest using ‘I feel’ statements to parents and families. What I see though, is that they’re not working. I want to shout from the rooftops: STOP THE ‘I FEEL’ STATEMENTS! But during my conversation with Seth, I realized it’s not about using them but it’s about the way we use them. So how are we currently misusing ‘I feel’...

The process and struggle doesn’t just stop after wilderness. In this second part of my interview with single parent Amy, we talk about the journey she and her daughter went through after wilderness. Their journey was full of ups and downs and looking back, Amy wishes she had made some different choices.  In this parent interview we discuss: How Amy coped with the ups and downs; The various treatme...

Today, I’m interviewing a single mom named Amy whose daughter suffered from depressive thoughts, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. After trying several interventions at home like anti-depressants and PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program), Amy decided to send her just 15-year-old daughter to wilderness, followed by several treatment programs.  Amy talks about how she discovered her emotion...

Enmeshment is a term to describe a relationship between two or more people in which personal boundaries are permeable and unclear. Getting out of an enmeshment pattern is all about taking responsibility for your own part. But let’s be real, that’s not easy. That’s because your brain is in defense mode. It’s trying to protect you by blaming the other because it does not want to do the work itself....

As parents, we tend to think we know what’s best for our teens. And guess what? Our teens think in the same way. “If my parents would only do xyz…” In the moment, blaming someone else feels easier than taking responsibility. It’s human but it isn’t helpful. We want to make the shift from being reactive to being responsive. In today’s episode, Seth and I share small, actionable steps you can take t...

How do you take space for yourself to process everything life throws at you when you feel depleted and your bucket is empty? That’s what I’m talking about today with Seth Gottlieb.  Life happens. Varying from regular life stressors to having children or loved ones making really tough choices. It can leave us feeling thinned out and those tend to be the moments we act from a place of reaction inste...

We’re back with the second part of the parent interview with Sandi and Don, parents of a post-wilderness teen. If you haven’t listened to the first part of my interview with Sandi and Don, go check out the previous episode first.  Sandi and Don decided to bring their son directly home from wilderness and today we discuss what happened once their son was back home. We talk about: What was it like o...

It was just hell on earth. That’s how Sandi describes their home situation before she and her husband Don sent their son to wilderness. This episode is for you if you are researching options to help your struggling teen, considering wilderness for your kid, or if your kid is currently in wilderness. In this parent interview with Sandi and Don, we discuss: What it felt like sending their son to wil...

Is your teen refusing to go to school? Or maybe they refuse to make their homework? Today, we’re diving deep into the why behind school refusal and the emotions driving this behavior so we as parents can begin to understand where this behavior of refusing school is coming from and how to deal with it.  You see, school refusal has everything to do with emotions. It’s our nervous system’s way to avo...

Let’s talk about something we ALL do but should stop immediately. I’m talking about creating worst-case scenario stories in our heads that get us spiraling into unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and actions instead of staying with the facts. In this week’s episode, we’ll talk about the difference between circumstances (facts) and stories (thoughts); the power of thoughts, why our brain makes up storie...

What does the journey through Wilderness Therapy look like from the parent’s perspective? In this second part of our interview with parent Amy, we discuss the ins and outs of Wilderness Therapy: before, during, and after.  How did Amy and her husband decide which program would be best for their son? What did the process look like of actually getting him to the Wilderness program? What was this pro...

Today, we’re interviewing Amy, who’s sharing her experiences as a mom who sent her teen to wilderness therapy.  Amy’s son started out as a happy, bubbly kid but when he reached puberty, he started getting more moody and depressed. Things took a turn for the worse and he started using video games as a coping mechanism. Slowly, she saw her bright son become withdrawn and miserable to be with.  In th...

Your teen is struggling, showing maladaptive behaviors. Family dynamics are off. You’ve been trying to get them to change but nothing is working. But is that really the way to go?  In this episode of Parenting Post-Wilderness, Seth and I are introducing the idea and mindset that change really does begin with us, parents. I’m sharing my own story of how I blamed my son for everything. It wasn’t unt...