Now Available
The Way Back Home
Healing Attachment Wounds With Your Teen
If your teenager is shutting down, pulling away, or in constant conflict, this book explains the attachment science behind it, and what you can actually do about it.
Written for parents who are doing everything right and still feel miles away from their kid. Grounded in the same IAT framework at the center of my clinical practice.
Available in paperback · Kindle · Audiobook
"Daniel Ahearn has done something rare. He has translated a sophisticated clinical model into language that parents can actually use."
Dr. David Elliott, PhD · Co-developer, Integrative Attachment Therapy
Who This Book Is For
You might recognize yourself here
- ·Your teenager has pulled away and you don't know why
- ·Every conversation turns into a conflict
- ·You're grieving the relationship you used to have
- ·You've tried therapy, boundaries, consequences. Nothing sticks
- ·You suspect your own history is part of the problem
- ·You want to repair things before they get worse
What You'll Get
What the book covers
- ·The attachment science behind adolescent withdrawal and conflict
- ·How your own attachment history shows up in parenting
- ·The Ideal Parent Figure framework adapted for families
- ·Practical repair strategies for ruptures, shutdown, and distance
- ·How to stay present when activated, without performing calm
- ·A framework for rebuilding earned security with your teen
The Framework of the Book
The Five Conditions of Secure Attachment
The book is built around the Five Conditions of Secure Attachment: the core relational experiences that allow security to develop. Drawn from the work of Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott, applied here specifically to parenting teenagers.
Safety
Building the secure foundation.
Attunement
Connection over correction.
Soothing
Regulating before solving.
Expressed Delight
The engine of self-esteem.
Exploration
Boundaries that strengthen bonds.
About the Author
Written from clinical practice
Daniel J. Ahearn is an LMFT and IAT-certified attachment therapist, trained directly with Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott. He is Director of Culture at Ascend Healthcare, a residential treatment program for adolescents in Los Angeles, and maintains a private practice specializing in men's attachment work, father-teen repair, and family systems.
He trained directly with Dr. Daniel P. Brown and Dr. David Elliott in the Three Pillars / IAT framework. The Way Back Home distills over a decade of clinical work with teenagers and their parents into a framework any family can use.
Read more about Daniel →Companion App
The Way Back Home App
A progressive web app companion to the book with guided visualizations, reflection prompts, and tools to support your practice between sessions. Available now at waybackhome.app.
Open the AppFree Resource
Why Your Teen Is Pushing You Away
A free guide that introduces the Integrative Attachment Therapy framework and what's driving adolescent withdrawal, drawn directly from the book.
Download the Free Guide