Have you ever felt paralyzed by conflicting advice about your struggling teen while your own parental voice gets drowned out? That gut-wrenching feeling of being told the "experts" know better than you do about your own child?

This raw, vulnerable conversation dives deep into how parents become disempowered when navigating mental health systems for their children. We share personal stories about moments when our desperate desire to keep our children safe led us to override our intuition and their expressed needs. The result? Solutions that sometimes created more harm than healing.

What happens when we challenge the premise that our children are broken and need fixing? What if the most powerful medicine isn't found in a therapeutic program but in reclaiming our ability to truly see, hear, and accept our children as they are?

We explore the false dichotomy often presented to parents in crisis—either institutionalize your child or risk their safety—and offer a more nuanced perspective on what healing actually requires. Through powerful examples and practical wisdom, we illuminate how treatment approaches that focus solely on behavior management often miss the core needs for safety, connection, and belonging.

The conversation invites a profound shift from fear to faith, from fixing to accompanying, from potential to possibility. We discuss reclaiming parental authority not through control, but through trusting your relational wisdom and your deep understanding of your child's spirit.

Whether you're currently navigating a crisis with your teen or simply want to strengthen your connection before difficulties arise, this episode offers compassionate guidance for remembering that you already possess the most important resource your child needs: your authentic presence and acceptance.

TERI
Website: https://teripotter.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teripottercoach/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teripottercoach

teri@teripotter.com

CATHERINE
Website: https://www.collaborative-insights.com/conscious-coaching
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collaborative_insights_coach/

catherine@collaborative-insights.com

Resources:

- Conscious Parenting (Dr. Shefali Tsabary)
- Compassionate Inquiry (Dr. Gabor Maté, Sat Dharam Kaur)

Here are a few international resources:

• United States: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or text HOME to 741741
• United Kingdom: Samaritans: 116 123
• Canada: Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645
• Australia: Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
• International Helplines: Please visit www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html for a full list of helplines worldwide.
• https://www.helpguide.org/find-help

Please remember, there is always support available, and reaching out can be the first step in finding help. You are not alone, and support is there for you and your family.