Parent support groups
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Online groups for parents of teenagers, grounded in attachment science, practical, and capped at 12 so everyone gets heard.
When
Mondays, 5pm PT
Where
Zoom, anywhere in the U.S.
Size
Capped at 12
Fee
$60 per session
What this is
Psychoeducation meets peer support
For parents who are working hard and still feel like they’re losing ground with their teenager.
Every session is grounded in the attachment science behind adolescent behavior: why teens withdraw, why they push you away, what’s actually driving the conflict. Then we focus on what you can do about it. This isn’t therapy, and it isn’t a support group in the traditional sense. It’s structured teaching with room for real conversation, and you leave with something you can use that week.
What we cover
- Why teenagers push their parents away, and what it signals
- How your own attachment history shows up in your parenting
- Regulation and co-regulation: what your teen actually needs
- Staying present during ruptures without shutting down or escalating
- The difference between attunement and approval
- Setting limits without damaging the relationship
A framework for rupture and repair
The R.E.A.L. Method
Ruptures with your teenager are inevitable. What builds secure attachment is what happens next. R.E.A.L. is the four-step repair method at the center of these groups, first published in Chapter 7 of The Way Back Home. It isn’t a script. It’s a pattern you can return to when things go sideways, and it still counts when your teen isn’t ready to respond.
Regulate the breath
Repair can't start from a flooded nervous system. Pause. Three to five slow breaths, feet on the ground, shoulders down. You don't need to be calm, only more regulated than you were thirty seconds ago.
Pause first. Your teen's nervous system is watching yours.
Explore the moment
Once you're steadier, get curious about what happened for your teen. Not interrogation, not problem-solving, not explaining why they're wrong.
“Help me understand what just happened for you.”
Attune with empathy
Reflect back what you hear so your teen feels seen. Empathy is not agreement. You can attune to their experience and still hold the limit.
“It sounds like you felt dismissed when I said that.”
Lean back in
The gesture of return. Own your part and signal that the relationship is still here. Sometimes it's words; sometimes it's sitting down next to them and staying in the room.
“I'm sorry I raised my voice. I'm still here.”
The R.E.A.L. Method (Regulate the Breath, Explore the Moment, Attune with Empathy, Lean Back In) was developed by Daniel J. Ahearn, LMFT, and first published in The Way Back Home, April 1, 2026. © 2026 Daniel J. Ahearn, LMFT.
A good fit if
- Your teenager is pulling away and you don’t know why
- Every conversation turns into a conflict or ends in shutdown
- You want to understand the science, not just get advice
- You’re willing to look at your own history as part of the picture
- You want to be around other parents going through it too
Not the right fit if
- You want your teenager “fixed” without changing anything yourself
- You’re looking for quick tips and techniques
- You’re in acute crisis and need individual clinical support
If you need more individual support, family and teen therapy may be a better fit.
Who leads the groups
Daniel J. Ahearn is an LMFT and IAT-certified attachment therapist, trained directly with Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott, and the author of The Way Back Home: Healing Attachment Wounds With Your Teen. He is Director of Culture at Ascend Healthcare, a residential treatment program for adolescents, and has spent over a decade working with teenagers and their families.
The groups distill the framework he uses in individual and family work into a format any parent can use, whether or not they’re in therapy themselves. More about Daniel.
Join any time.
Groups are ongoing and capped at 12. There’s no cohort to wait for. If you’d like to talk first, book a free call.