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

138. Life After Treatment: How Your Kid Can Find the Peer Support They Need

Beth Hillman | Parent Coach for Parents of Struggling Teens & Ciara Fanlo Episode 138

One of the most overlooked challenges after treatment? The loss of community. Teens and young adults often return home (or head off to college) and suddenly find themselves without the peer support they had in treatment, even though that kind of support, being seen and understood by someone who’s been through it too, can be one of the most powerful parts of the healing process.

“Especially for young people, the need to belong is so important” - Ciara Fanlo

Your child may be craving a sense of normalcy, wanting to reconnect with friends and blend back in. But likely, they’ve changed and might not connect with their old friends as much anymore. Or they feel misunderstood because the people around them don’t understand what they’ve just been through. That longing for connection can be powerful, and without supportive peers who know what it’s like to be in treatment, your teen may feel isolated, or misunderstood.

In this episode, Ciara Fanlo joins me to talk about what happens when that community disappears and how we can help our teens build it again. We explore how to support your child in finding a new kind of community, one that reflects who they are now, post-treatment. Because no matter how much love you offer as a parent, having peers who truly get it makes all the difference.

In this episode on peer support after treatment, we cover:

  • Why peer connection is crucial for teens after treatment;
  • What your child may be feeling as they transition home or to a new environment;
  • The disconnect teens often experience when trying to rejoin old friend groups;
  • How to help your child find community without pushing or panicking;
  • Why shared understanding and belonging are key to maintaining change;
  • 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 Ciara Fanlo
Ciara Fanlo is a former “troubled teen” who now supports struggling adolescents and their families. After recovering from her own challenging years, she founded Homing Instinct to share what she learned from her experiences. Ciara now provides personalized mentorship and coaching for teens as they navigate the transformative and tumultuous journey of becoming a young adult in today’s world.

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