We started this podcast to help parents learn and be able to process and implement strategies for themselves and their children. We wanted parents to be more successful as dealing with children who have mental illness is challenging enough, much less having to navigate this fragmented ecosystem. One person we wish we knew when we were at our depths was Dr. Paul Sunseri. He's a therapist who supports parents and their children and does it with them together as a single unit. Had we done this inst...
Jan 14, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In this episode, we talk with Jay Boll, VP of Laurel House and Editor in Chief of Resources to Recover (www.rtor.org). Laurel House serves mentally ill in Southern Connecticut with practical tools to enhance cognitive abilities and real world skills. The Thinking Well Program is unique and impactful. Given it is a robust website, Resources to Recover has a broader reach. It is a directory of family endorsed providers that is very extensive. Check out www.rtor.org and www.laurelhouse.net for more...
Dec 31, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Claudia Christian is an accomplished Hollywood actress. Her accomplishments can be found on her own wiki page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Christian), but that's not why are here today. Claudia developed Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in her thirties and struggled with the addiction until she came upon a solution that is 78% effective for users. In this compelling episode, Claudia shares with us her story and how The Sinclair Method (TSM) can be an effective solution for parents and their ...
Dec 17, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this episode, we address a scary, but important topic, suicide. Suicide is increasing rapidly, up 60% in the past 12 years. Covid is putting extra stress on all of us with 25% thinking suicidal thoughts. How to we understand suicide and address it better? Frank King, a suicide prevention speaker and comedian, shares with us his perspective in this valuable and informative episode you don't want to miss. You can find more about Frank at www.thementalhealthcomedian.com.
Dec 03, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode, we explore what Mindfulness Based Therapy is and how it can help your adolescent or young adult child. Josh & Maureen White run two facilities whose programs provide "jet fuel" to traditional therapy in the residential treatment area. For more information, feel free to go to their websites: www.redmountainsedona.com or www.redmountaincolorado.com Enjoy!
Nov 19, 2020•48 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This episode is a bit different, but very interesting. Today, we shift gears and go into the history of wilderness therapy, residential treatment center and other forms of therapy. Many of the organizations that formed as part of this ecosystem in the 1990’s were faith based. Through a combination of religion and therapy, this was a new and evolutionary solution that helped children. Now, there are many programs that have Christian foundational elements that serve different purposes for differen...
Nov 05, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Do you think your family and child are well equipped to handle the transition back to Homelife after treatment? Most aren't and can use a helping hand to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible and that old behaviors do not redevelop and become problematic. In this episode, we talk with Dave Herz, founder of Wonder. He shares with us what Transition and Aftercare are, why these are needed services, how they are delivered typically and in the current Covid environment and how to get in ...
Oct 22, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this great and conversational episode, we speak with Karen Fessel, the Executive Director and Founder of the Mental Health and Autism Insurance Project. We talk about the following relating to getting insurance coverage for wilderness therapy and after care programs: - Why it is so challenging to get insurance to cover wilderness therapy and after treatment programs? - If parents don’t get covered initially, they need to file an appeal. Can you describe to our listeners how this process works...
Oct 08, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
You are not alone. In this special episode, Lori interviews Audrey about her experiences before, during and after Wilderness Therapy and Residential Treatment. She describes struggling as a teenager with short term memory challenges, her battle with anxiety and depression and her time away from home where she learned how to cope and prepare herself for being a responsible and stable young adult. This is unique opportunity for parents to hear and learn about how a child thinks and feels going thr...
Oct 04, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this super interesting episode, we spoke with Jake Weld, who is the Director of Business Development and Admissions at Mansfield Hall and is also a co-founder of an organization called Visual Hall. Jake shares with us how students aren't qualified for college life and what they need to do to succeed. He describes how Mansfield Hall and Virtual Hall offer services to help students make the transition to college. You can find out more about Mansfield Hall and Virtual Hall at www.mansfieldhall.o...
Sep 24, 2020•41 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We are so excited to launch this podcast! It is produced by parents who, like you, are currently or have been involved in this unexpected journey with your child and family. There are a lot of great resources out there, but they are highly fragmented. We want this podcast to be a go to place for information and comfort. We will have engaging topics with guest speakers that will provide good guidance and inspiration as you navigate your journey. Our first episode describes the podcast itself and ...
Sep 10, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Where do you go if you need great information about all things related to the treatment journey? Well, you can certainly come to our website www.parentsjourney.net, where we feature great podcasts with experts from all aspects of this ecosystem. You can also go to www.allkindsoftherapy.com. It is the most comprehensive website with access to experts, blogs and other resources for parents to explore and research. Today, we spoke with founder, owner and curator, Jenney Wilder about the website and...
Sep 10, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this episode, we are pleased to speak with Mona Treadway, Co-Founder and Executive Director, of Dragonfly. Transitions in Oregon. They are are residential treatment center that focuses on helping young adults build the skills to transition from wilderness therapy, then back to their home environment, school or some other location. As suggested in this episode, Residential Treatment typically lasts 9-12 months. There's a lot of good and tough work to be done by both children and their parents ...
Sep 09, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 13
We've been broadcasting since April and have learned quite a bit. So, since this podcast is by parents for parents, we thought it would be great to take a pause, reflect on what we've learned to date and share it to help parents in their journeys. We created a top 10 list and it is: 1. The Struggle Is Real 2. We Often Make the Same Mistakes 3. Being a Good Parent Takes Muscle Memory 4. Parent Coaching is Something Every Parent Should Consider 5. It's OK to be Vulnerable 6. The Industry Remains V...
Aug 24, 2020•17 min
We are excited to discuss the financial impact of sending your child away for treatment and one way to offset these costs. Today, we have an awesome opportunity to speak with Nancy Moore, the Executive Director at Skys The Limit Fund. Nancy and her team are some really smart and generous people who saw this financial burden and decided to find a way to provide grants to parents in need to help them financially during the Wilderness Therapy process. www.skysthelimitfund.org...
Aug 13, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Parents need to learn and heal just as their children do while away at therapy. Many parents hope that by sending their children away for help, they will get better and come home more equipped to handle life's stresses. While this is often true, most parents don't realize that they were also part of the dynamic that contributed to their children's challenges and need to address them through their own therapy. Krissy's book is well known throughout the treatment industry because it is so insightf...
Jul 31, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Our podcast has made a difference. Having listened to Audrey in Podcast episode # 4 (our most popular episode), the kind and generous people at The Sky’s The Limit Fund, asked Audrey to be a keynote speaker at their annual fundraiser. In this special episode, hear Audrey tell her story and how Wilderness Therapy had a tremendously positive impact on her.
Jul 24, 2020•11 min
In this episode, we focus on how It's really important for parents to learn new skills to communicate and work with one another and with their child. Parent coaches help address this family issue and enables both the parents and their children to do the necessary work. As discussed in our earlier wonderful episode with Joe Hall, research has shown that families are far more successful if the parents are engaged and take responsibility for their part of the dynamic. Barb and Colin share with us t...
Jul 17, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 10
What an episode this is! Did you know the difference between joy and happiness? We didn't. Rob Gent, Chief Clinical Officer for Embark, which owns and runs 16 programs nationally, including Wilderness Therapy, Residential Treatment, Young Adult and Intensive Outpatient Programs. Rob shared the Embark business model and programs, their CASA Developmental Trauma Treatment Model, the difference between chronological and emotional development in children and what parents should know and can do and h...
Jul 02, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 9
We wish we heard this episode before we unsuccessfully filed our claims with our insurance provider. This amazing episode highlight's Joe's story and what he recommends to give you the best chance to ensure you can get covered by your insurance company. We will discuss Joe's recommended and extremely valuable 10 point check list that can be found at https://www.thekennedyforum.org/blog/10-steps-to-securing-insurance-coverage-for-mental-health-care/. You can also find out more information about t...
Jun 30, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 8
We are excited to share this great episode where we speak with the co-founder of Pacific Quest. They offer wilderness therapy for adolescents and young adults with a unique program given it is located in Hawaii and is focused on horticulture. Suzanne shares what wilderness treatment is and why it is important, what is horticultural therapy and why is it effective, what it is like to visit Pacific Quest as a parent, how parents can best prepare their children for transition to residential treatme...
Jun 08, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 7
We are really excited to share this information packed episode with you. John Hall, Primary Therapist, Chief Quality Officer and Director of Research at Telos Residential Treatment in Orem, UT joins us today. He shares: Middle of treatment and transitioning timeframes - child regressing, parent involvement, safe landings, resources, etc. NATSAP and his role there Trends and Research parents should know about and where to find it - ex. family involvement vs. non-family involvement and golden thre...
May 24, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 6
We are excited to be able to share with parents some really important information about adolescent intervention and transportation services. When a child and family are in crisis, you can't always just drive or fly with them to get off-site therapy. They may resist or being in physical or emotional danger if this isn't properly handled. Companies like Right Direction have the experience, training and ability to make this difficult time an easier and more productive one. Right Direction transport...
May 11, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode, we speak with BJ Hopper, an educational consultant (EC) focused on therapeutic focused solutions for parents and their children. BJ has been in this field for 30 years and brings a wealth of knowledge that will benefit parents wherever they are in their journeys. Topics we discuss include: 1. Her background 2. Typical scope of services an EC provide 3. Accreditations and skills required to be an EC 4. Keeping current on all the solutions 5. Cost to hire an EC 6. Coping with Covi...
Apr 29, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 3
We are pleased to be able to talk about mental illness and how it affects parents and their families while their children are at wilderness therapy, residential treatment or other locations. Kim Jones, Executive Director - National Alliance of Mental Illness, joins us to discuss how parents can best cope during times of stress, especially in the midst of this pandemic. She shares her story and also all the resources available through this organization to help parents and their families. This is ...
Apr 20, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 2
