Parenting Post-Wilderness: Parenting a Struggling Teen Before, During and After Treatment
Your guide to parenting a struggling teen or young-adult, whether they’re home, transitioning home, or presently in treatment.
Parents, say goodbye to exhausting confusion, overwhelm, panic and the unhelpful patterns that keep you and your family stuck. Learn how to develop healthy responses and set healthy boundaries with your teen instead of acting out of fear and anxiety.
Experience the relationship-changing power of focusing on your own behavior instead of futile attempts to control your teen.
Your guides to Parenting Post-wilderness are Beth Hillman, a life coach for parents of struggling teens and mom to a post-wilderness teen, and part-time co-host Seth Gottlieb, a wilderness therapy guide turned teen and young-adult recovery coach. Their unique combination of experience and training yields candid conversations chock full of practical, actionable tips and tools to smooth the challenges both parents and teens experience surrounding treatment.
Every week, you can expect conversations around:
- Parenting a struggling teen or young-adult;
- Setting healthy boundaries with your teen;
- Treatment options for your struggling teen or young adult;
- Bringing your kid home from treatment;
- Parenting skills to support your struggling child;
- Teen substance abuse, drug addiction, gaming addiction, suicidal ideation, or other teen mental health concerns;
- How to end power struggles and instead foster healthy communication with your teen or young-adult;
- And much more.
Listen in to discover how parents like you have learned to influence equanimity in the home and rebuild connections with the teens they love.
Connect with Beth on Instagram (@bethhillmancoaching) or find more information about working with Beth at www.bethhillmancoaching.com.
Parenting Post-Wilderness: Parenting a Struggling Teen Before, During and After Treatment
130. From Sibling to Mentor: The Sibling’s Perspective & Building Community After Treatment With Ethan Gordon
When a child struggles, the entire family feels it. But the sibling’s experience is often overlooked. Today, we get to hear the sibling’s perspective as Ethan Gordon, a mentor for struggling kids, teens, and young adults, joins me to share his unique perspective as both a sibling and a social worker. Drawing from his personal loss of a brother to drug addiction, Ethan offers insights into his unique experiences as a sibling of a struggling teen.
Navigating how much to share with siblings when a family is in crisis can be incredibly challenging. Some parents may overshare, while others try to protect their children by withholding all information. It’s a hard place to be in as a parent. Ethan reminds us that everyone processes family struggles differently and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Now, in his work as a mentor, Ethan focuses on guiding teens to build connection and community, a vital piece that often disappears after treatment. He shares his approach to creating systems that give your teen happiness, social connection, and a piece of community during their day that they can fall back on when things get tough.
His approach is simple: meet teens where they are and guide them toward connection and growth.
Join us in this conversation as Ethan offers actionable insights for navigating life after treatment and offering your teen sustainable support.
In this episode, on the sibling’s perspective, we cover:
- The unique path and experience of siblings during family crises;
- The different roles the sibling can take on in the family dynamics, for example as a peacemaker or by withdrawing;
- How much to share with your sibling about what’s going on with your struggling teen?;
- The importance of building connection and community when transitioning home from wilderness or other treatment programs;
- And more!
Looking for support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.
Have a question or need support? You can email me at beth@bethhillmancoaching.com
More about Ethan Gordon
Ethan is the founder of Bold Ascents, a mentorship organization dedicated to supporting youth across the country, aged 10-24, in their transition home from treatment programs. With a decade of experience in the mental health field, Ethan has worked with a wide variety of populations, including survivors of sexual assault, individuals experiencing homelessness, and adolescents struggling with mental health challenges.
Having been a sibling to a young person who went through wilderness therapy and losing his brother at a young age to addiction, he has a personal connection to his work.
At Bold Ascents, Ethan helps adolescents and young adults recognize their resilience, navigate the challenges of daily life, and build a foundation for success. Through his client-centered approach, Ethan fosters a deep sense of connection and validation, empowering youth to embrace their unique paths forward.
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🌱 LIVE Online Workshop 'Resolve The Cycle of Conflict' 🌱
May 2nd & 16th, 2025
Sign up or learn more over at www.bethhillmancoaching.com/conflictworkshop
I hope to see you there!
