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
156. Understanding Why Teens Lie, With Therapist Dana VanRenterghem
When your teen lies to you, it can feel like a betrayal, whether it’s about doing the dishes, where they were last night, or something much bigger. But what if their dishonesty isn’t a sign of disrespect, but a sign of something deeper?
Today, therapist Dana VanRenterghem is back to unpack the emotional complexity behind why teens lie. From little white lies to big cover-ups, together we explore what’s often happening beneath the surface: fear, shame, and the deep need for connection. And with all those new insights into why your teen or young adult might lie to you, how can you shift from punishment to understanding
You’ll gain insight into how to stay grounded in moments of dishonesty, why rewarding truth-telling might not build integrity, and how to create a home where your teen feels emotionally safe enough to be honest, even when it’s hard.
This is the long game of parenting. It’s not about quick fixes or bribing your teen into transparency. It’s about building trust, speaking to the emotional brain, and being a safe person for your child to come to, especially when they mess up.
In this episode on why teens lie, you'll learn:
- How lying often stems from fear of losing connection;
- Why consequences don’t usually solve dishonesty?
- What’s behind the impulse to hide, withhold, or bend the truth;
- How to validate your teen’s feelings without condoning the behavior;
- The importance of avoiding labels like “liar”;
- Ways to foster emotional safety and encourage honest conversations;
- What to say when your teen does tell the truth;
- Why this kind of parenting takes time, and how to stay the course;
- And valuable insights from Dana!
More about Dana VanRenterghem, LMSW (she/her)
Dana is a therapist who believes in the healing power of relationships. With a background in residential treatment, trauma recovery, and family systems, she brings deep compassion and insight to her work with parents, teens, and young adults. Dana is part of the team at the Family Intensive Institute and draws from approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR. Outside of therapy, she’s a marathon runner, jiu jitsu purple belt, and proud stepmom who knows firsthand that parenting is the toughest challenge of all.
More episodes with Dana:
- #145 How to Apologize to Your Teen or Young Adult Kid With Dana VanRenterghem
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
You can support the show by:
Leaving a review
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And remember parents, the change begins with us.
🔆 Small GROUP COACHING program starting September 3rd, 2025 🔆
Sign up or learn more over at www.bethhillmancoaching.com/groups
I hope to see you there!
