Parent Support Groups
You don't have to figure
this out alone.
A national Zoom-based psychoeducation group for parents of teenagers, grounded in attachment science, practically focused, and capped at 12 participants so everyone gets heard.
Ongoing groups · Mondays, 5pm PST · Join any time
Format
Zoom · National
When
Mondays · 5pm PST
Group Size
Capped at 12
Investment
$60 per session
Who It's For
Parents of teens
What This Is
Psychoeducation meets peer support
These groups are 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, and focused 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 psychoeducation with room for real conversation. You'll leave each session with a framework that makes your teenager's behavior more intelligible, and with practical tools you can use that week.
Groups are capped at 12 participants so that every parent has room to be heard. We meet on Zoom, which means you can join from anywhere in the country.
What We Cover
Topics include
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: Healing Attachment Wounds With Your Teen (April 1, 2026).
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.”
In group, we practice R.E.A.L. with the ruptures parents are actually living through that week. The free daily practice app walks through the same four steps.
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.
This is 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're doing everything you can think of and nothing is working
- ·You want to understand attachment 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 navigating similar things
This is not the right fit if:
- ·You're looking for a place to vent without wanting to grow
- ·You want your teenager to be "fixed" without changing yourself
- ·You're in acute crisis and need individual clinical support
- ·You're looking for parenting tips and quick techniques
If you need more individualized support, the Family & Teen Therapy option may be a better fit.
About the Facilitator
Who's leading these groups
Daniel J. Ahearn is an LMFT and IAT-certified attachment therapist, trained directly with Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott. He's Director of Culture at Ascend Healthcare, a residential treatment program for adolescents, and has spent over a decade in clinical work with teenagers and their families.
He trained directly with Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott in the Three Pillars / Integrative Attachment Therapy framework, and is the author of The Way Back Home: Healing Attachment Wounds With Your Teen.
These groups distill the same framework he uses in individual and family clinical work into a format accessible to any parent, regardless of whether they're in therapy themselves.
Ready to join a group?
Groups are ongoing and capped at 12. You can join any time, and there's no cohort to wait for.