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 they can help with;
• When would a family hire an Education Consultant?;
• What does working with an Education Consultant look like?;
• Including your teen in the decision of going to wilderness;
• Beth’s story on getting her son to wilderness;
• And more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

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Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 choice to go. We’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each of them and in what situations one option might be better than the other. 

In this episode on how to get your teen to wilderness, we discuss:

• The options you have in getting your teen to wilderness;
• The pros and cons of each choice;
• Taking ownership of your decision to send your teen to wilderness;
• Your teen’s feelings about wilderness and transport are valid;
• How to guide the conversation with your teen about going to wilderness;
• And more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

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Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

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Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 support systems and everything she learned helped her out again. Curious to hear her advice to parents? Or how’s she’s doing now? Let’s jump into the episode!

In this teen interview, we discuss:

• Amazing pieces of advice given by her as a teen to parents; 
• The life-changing things she’s learned in therapy that she would never have learned otherwise;
• When did the shift happen to wanting to change and wanting help?;
• How wilderness helped her work on her sense of self-worth;
• Her perspective on her parents’ growth; 
• And so much more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 for you and your teen.

In this second episode of the wilderness series, we discuss:

• The decision to send your teen to wilderness;
• Red flags & maladaptive behaviors to look out for in your teen;
• Parent red flags in behavior and feelings;
• And more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 attention. Seth and I are going to shed some light on the ins and outs of wilderness from our experiences and perspectives in the hope of supporting and informing.

In this first episode of the series, we’re going to go over:

• The objectives of wilderness therapy;
• A general overview & info of what it is and what it’s not;
• Different kinds of wilderness programs & how they differ from each other;
• Parent programs;
• Some surprisingly natural consequences a teen may find throughout their experience;
• And more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 parents of children struggling with mental health and/or substances: OPLM.com.

In this parent interview, we discuss:

• Diving deeper into her son’s experience of going to wilderness;
• Seth’s experiences of how wilderness finally made him feel safe;
• Suicidal ideation;
• Self-worth;
• Working on yourself as a parent;
• Online parent support group OPLM.com;
• And more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 (OPLM.com), on the podcast today to share her story and experiences around her son’s addiction and his journey to wilderness. She also opens up about her lack of self-care, the effect her son’s behavior had on his siblings, and how she and her husband made sure they could get through this together, as a team.

In this parent interview, we discuss:

• Her son’s history of ADHD, leading up to his drug addiction;
• The difficulty of navigating the difference between her children;
• Family dynamics and the role the siblings played in this journey;
• What’s going on in the brain of an addict;
• How they got their son to wilderness;
• Creative ways they were able to pay for wilderness;
• Casie’s personal journey as a parent: what was she going through and what did she feel?;
• Taking care of her marriage during this difficult time;
• How her son now feels about wilderness;
• And more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 this conflict so hard;
• The parents’ and child’s perspectives;
• The conflict it brings to the child, knowing the parents mean well and are coming from a place of love;
• Strategies to release pressure off of the child;
• Real-life examples and tips;
• And much more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!

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 of weeks after wilderness were like;
• Cellphone use after wilderness;
• The commitment of taking your kid home directly after wilderness;
• Holding boundaries;
• The ‘shoulds’ of parenting;
• Challenges within the system;
• And much more!

If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or go to my website www.bethhillmancoaching.com. And if you’re interested in working with me, you can learn more about my private coaching here or my group coaching here.

And remember parents, the change begins with us.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

And if you haven’t already done so, make sure to subscribe to our show so you don’t miss any of my future episodes!