Eps 435: Lessons from the woods and troubled teen years with Ciara Fanlo

My guest today is Ciara Fanlo, and I loved every minute of our conversation!   

Ciara shares a detailed recounting of her own troubled teenage years and personal experiences with wilderness therapy and therapeutic boarding school. We talk about what does work well with wilderness therapy and the challenges of integrating back to real life after treatment. Ciara explains the difference between just functioning versus being emotionally well and resilient. I ask Ciara how she transitioned from these challenging teen years to now being a parenting coach & adolescent mentor, then Ciara shares her thoughts on how parents can get reluctant teens on board when they need help. We end by discussing self-harm as a coping skill, how parents can best broach the topic when their child is self-harming, and what teens wish their parents understood about it. 

Takeaways from the show

• Ciara’s journey from troubled teen to parenting coach & adolescent mentor 
• Nature as a part of therapy & connection to mental health 
• The pros & cons of wilderness therapy 
• Integrating back to “real life” after treatment 
• Being functional versus being emotionally well 
• How to get resistant teens on board when they need help 
• Teenage individuation & autonomy versus being who your parents want you to be
• Self-harm as a (poor) coping skill 
• The importance of self-forgiveness

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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