Special Parent Series: Episode 247 with “Jennifer” Artwork

Success is Subjective: Helping parents of college students accept that dropping out is okay

Interviews of people who took a break from life at one point or another to get help, grow up, or just to reassess their life direction. Some guests struggled with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, a death in the family, or just decided college was not the place for them. These stories are all-to-real, and yet we don't talk enough about how common it is for those who took a gap year to defer college, went to college and took a break, or those who struggled launching into the workforce post-college graduation. This goes out to all the young adults and parents of young adults who are struggling and contemplating what will happen if they walk away right now.

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Success is Subjective: Helping parents of college students accept that dropping out is okay

Special Parent Series: Episode 247 with “Jennifer”

September 03, 2024 • Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC • Season 3 • Episode 247

Today, Joanna is bringing you another story from our special parent series, where she interviews parents whose children have overcome various mental health challenges. This episode of Success is Subjective is a conversation between Joanna and “Jennifer”, a wife and mother of two young adult children who struggled in different ways. Jennifer recounts the difficult journey of her son dealing with anxiety, depression, ODD, and ADHD and how, by age 15, he was using alcohol and substances to cope. With incredible vulnerability, Jennifer shares not only the heartbreaking process of deciding to put him in treatment but also how she was forced to confront her own trauma to become the best support for her son, her family, and her community.

Jennifer is an Other Parents Like Me Peer Parent and loves being a Guardian Ad Litem, a court-appointed person who investigates the best interests of a child in a custody case.

NOTE: The podcasts in this series can include sensitive subjects such as suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, hospitalizations, psychotic episodes, and other traumatic experiences which include parts of the treatment journey. No topic is off limits and not all stories are positive but they are real, raw, and transparent.

**Listener discretion is advised**

Connect with Joanna Lilley

Therapeutic Consulting Association

Lilley Consulting Website

Lilley Consulting on Facebook

Lilley Consulting on YouTube

Email: joanna@lilleyconsulting.com

Resources

Other Parents Like Me

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