101. Believing in Your Teen’s Potential Is Everything - With Formerly Struggling Teen Ciara Fanlo

Parenting Post-Wilderness: Parenting a Struggling Teen Before, During and After Treatment

“Parents have so much influence on their child’s concept of themselves.” - Ciara
What if your struggling teen could look at themselves with hope and confidence, knowing they have the power to overcome their challenges?
This second conversation with formerly struggling teen Ciara Fanlo is focussed around one main questions: What can parents do to best support their struggling teen?
When asked what her own parents could have done differently, she replied: "Relate to me as someone who was capable, whole, and healed,". It sounds simple, but you and I both know how hard this can be. Yet, it can make all the different to your teen.
"You’re able to hold this vision of them and their life and what’s possible for them even when they maybe can’t see it," Ciara explained. This vision is crucial because, as parents, our belief in our children's potential is everything.
Lacking the life experience to know that there’s always hope, our teens often struggle to see hope in their darkest moments. And it’s our job as their parents to give them this hope. "Parents have so much influence on their child's concept of themselves," Ciara emphasized.
Have a listen now for a unique opportunity to learn from a formerly struggling teen herself!
In this episode on believing in your teen’s potential, we discuss:

• The importance of holding a positive vision for your child’s future;
• Why your teen needs you to instill hope in them;
• The influence you have as a parent on your child’s concept of themselves;
• Can you look at your teen’s struggles as essential for their development instead of a predictor for the rest of their lives?;
• Two helpful reminders on cultivating hope in your struggling teen;
• What could Ciara’s parents have done differently during her teenage years?;
• When your teenager pushes you away and puts their defenses up, they really need you to see beyond that and be there;
• Being willing to take accountability for ways they’ve hurt their child;
• Understanding your teen's state of blame as a coping mechanism due to lack of self-worth;
• What you can do to encourage openness and connection with your struggling teen.

More about Ciara Fanlo

Ciara Fanlo is a former “troubled teen” who now supports struggling adolescents and their families. After recovering from her own challenging years, she founded Homing Instinct to share what she learned from her experiences. Ciara now provides personalized mentorship and coaching for teens as they navigate the transformative and tumultuous journey of becoming a young adult in today’s world.
Need support?
🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!
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And remember parents, the change begins with us.

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