The firmest friendships have been formed in mutual adversity, as iron is most strongly united by the fiercest flame.

—Charles Caleb Colton

SUPPORT—PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS


Parent Support Group Schedule

Please check our calendar to view the weekly support group schedule, as well as related workshops and events held by Integrated Teen Services and other professionals in the Bay Area.


Providing Support for Parents

Having a troubled teenager is an exhausting experience. Many parents feel scared, ashamed, angry, and worried. Many parents wonder how their child changed so dramatically while growing up. Parents often feel overwhelmed in trying to determine the best course of action with their adolescent.

I understand this process having worked with teens and families since 1991. Most of my teenage clients are wonderful people but are behaving in ways that demonstrate confusion, anger, and pain. It is my job to help these adolescents regain their healthy and purposeful lives, and to support parents during this process.

I have been running an on-going Parent Support Group for two hours weekly since June of 2004. Parents, adolescent experts, and industry leaders all agree that this type of support group is absolutely necessary for maximizing the treatment success of the adolescent.

I maintain close contact with all of my ITS families at all stages. This allows me to assess the family system. Mindful that the adolescent’s problem is not a “quick fix” and usually involves the entire family system, I provide assessment of and personal attention and care to the whole family to ensure that the family has the necessary resources to shift and heal. I have knowledge of adolescent specialists at all stages of care.

Parent Support Groups

For our clients, we facilitate weekly on-going educational groups where parents support one another. This supportive space allows parents to gather and share information, open up emotionally, and move forward with newfound strength and wisdom. This group has evolved into a positive peer culture in which parents (some attending for two full years) are now mentors to the new families.

In these groups, we often discuss topics such as loss and grief, co-dependency, communication styles, and boundary setting. We practice “I feel” statements, coach the writing of Impact Letters, and do much more. We also laugh, cry, and share stories. Many parents say they feel re-energized and hopeful. We think this is an important part of each family’s healing.

 

 

 

Solutions and Support for At-Risk Teens and Their Families
David R. Heckenlively, MS, MFT
CEO and Therapeutic Consultant