146 Restored: Personal Formation for Teen and Young Adult Children of Divorce with Joey Pontarelli
Aug 26, 2024
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Joey Pontarelli, founder of Restored, shares his compelling journey of healing from the impact of his parents' divorce. He discusses the emotional turbulence faced by teens and young adults, emphasizing the necessity of community and storytelling in recovery. Joey challenges listeners to confront their fears about love and relationships, revealing how past experiences shape self-worth. The conversation also highlights his ministry's innovative approach to support, including therapist networks and mentorship programs designed to foster resilience and personal growth.
Joey Pontarelli highlights the emotional and relational challenges faced by children of divorce, emphasizing the need for healing through community support and shared experiences.
The mission of Restored focuses on providing resources and guidance to help young adults confront their trauma and build healthier relationships post-divorce.
Deep dives
The Impact of Divorce on Children
Divorce profoundly affects children, leading to emotional and relational struggles as they navigate their formative years. Joey Ponterelli, a child of divorce, shares his personal journey, highlighting how the emotional turmoil from his parents' separation fostered feelings of anxiety, anger, and worthlessness towards love and relationships. As he transitioned into adulthood, these issues manifested as deep-seated fears and unhealthy habits, illustrating that the consequences of divorce often extend beyond the immediate family unit. This understanding drives the mission of organizations like Restored, which seeks to address the unmet needs of young individuals who have experienced parental divorce, focusing on emotional healing and personal growth.
Healing Through Community and Connection
Restored emphasizes the importance of community in the healing process for young adults affected by divorce. By sharing experiences and personal stories, individuals can connect over their shared pain, which fosters a sense of belonging and understanding within the group. Joey highlights how hearing others' narratives can validate personal struggles, instilling hope and demonstrating that recovery is possible. This communal approach encourages participants to view their challenges not as isolated incidents, but as part of a broader experience of overcoming the challenges of divorce.
Resources for Recovery: Tools and Programs
Joey discusses various resources offered by Restored, including a podcast dedicated to helping children of divorce navigate their emotional and relational challenges. The podcast features expert interviews and personal stories that illuminate the struggles many face, helping listeners realize they are not alone in their experiences. Additionally, Restored is developing initiatives like the 'School of Love,' designed to connect young adults from broken homes with healthy role models in stable families to provide guidance and support. These resources aim to equip young individuals with the tools they need to heal and foster healthier relationships in their own lives.
The Journey Towards Personal Growth and Integration
Throughout the discussion, the notion of personal growth through the integration of experiences is a central theme. Both Joey and Dr. Jerry explore how traumatic events, like parental divorce, necessitate a process of healing that involves acknowledging and reconciling with one’s past. They emphasize that addressing emotional wounds and fears can lead to greater self-understanding and a more fulfilling life. By confronting these fears and seeking support, individuals can move towards a life defined not by their trauma, but by their resilience and newfound capacity for love.
Joey Pontarelli joins guest host Dr. Gerry Crete to share the impact of his parents’ divorce on him as a child, the ways that divorce rocked his world, and his journey of recovery. And that journey of recovery includes his founding of Restored, a ministry for teens and young adults whose parents' marriages failed, giving them a place to share their stories, help for them to find healthy responses to an unhealthy family situation, to seek “integration, rather than amputation” of their internal experiences and to correct the lies beneath their fear, anger, and shame.
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