HEALTHY FAMILY CONNECTIONS

Latest Episodes:

Parenting Teens: When Therapists Get the Balance Wrong Jul 25, 2025

Show notes

In this eye-opening episode, we dive into a common parenting dilemma: what happens when therapy for your teen backfires? We explore the story of Mom and her 15-year-old daughter, Olive, whose rebellious behavior leads them to counseling. While the therapist aims to help by advising Mom to loosen her control and give Olive more independence, things take an unexpected turn. Olive's behavior spirals, and Mom is left questioning the advice she trusted. We unpack the therapist's mistake—failing to address the deeper "Control Battle" between Mom's overinvolvement and Olive's avoidance of responsibility. Tune in to learn why simply telling parents to "back off" can undermine family dynamics and discover how therapy can better support teens and parents in fostering true independence. A must-listen for parents navigating the challenges of raising teenagers!

How Do I Share Custody With An Abusive Partner Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

In this heartfelt episode of our podcast, we dive into a challenging yet vital topic: co-parenting with an abusive partner. Listener Sharon, a devoted mom of two boys, shares her courageous journey of leaving an abusive relationship and navigating the complexities of shared custody. Facing her ex's harmful behaviors and refusal to communicate, Sharon seeks advice on helping her sons recognize their father's dysfunctional actions while fostering healthy boundaries. Join Neil as he offers compassionate, practical guidance to empower Sharon and her children, providing insights that resonate with anyone facing similar struggles. Tune in for a powerful discussion on resilience, healing, and creating a safe, supportive home. For more parenting resources, including an online parenting course, visit neildbrown.com

The Challenge of Parental Blind Spots Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

Struggling to guide your teen back to a healthy path? In this episode of Healthy Family Connections, host Neil D. Brown, LCSW, tackles parental blind spots that sabotage change in families. Discover why even motivated parents miss key strategies from books like Ending the Parent-Teen Control Battle and learn actionable solutions to overcome control battles, power struggles, and counterproductive patterns. Neil shares three critical reasons change feels impossible and introduces his online parenting course to empower you with bite-sized, systemic tools for lasting transformation. Perfect for parents of all teens, including neurodiverse, anxious, or underperforming teens. Subscribe for weekly insights on family therapy, teen mental health, and gentle parenting at neildbrown.com/newsletter-signup Visit neildbrown.com for more information including free parenting articles, assessments, and resources.

How to Create Real Change with your Teenager Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Is your teenager under functioning because of anxiety, depression, ADHD, hyper-sensitivity, oppositional behavior, learning differences or other neural differences? We'll talk about what to do about this in today's podcast, How to Create Real Change with your Teenager.

***

Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

📘 Buy the book: https://neildbrown.com/books

👉 Take the online course: https://neildbrown.com/parent-teen-control-battle-course

📬 Sign up for my weekly newsletter: https://neildbrown.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1aa1e2714f7e78988c614a28a&id=3a810a3070

Get started and take the first step toward a thriving family life. ✨ Visit https://neildbrown.com for more resources including free assessments, guides, and plenty of content on parenting teenagers.

My Daughter's Husband Doesn't Support Her May 08, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Neil responds to a mom wanting to know how to support her adult daughter who is in an emotionally abusive marriage.

***

Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

📘 Buy the book: https://neildbrown.com/books

👉 Take the online course: https://neildbrown.com/parent-teen-control-battle-course

📬 Sign up for my weekly newsletter: https://neildbrown.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1aa1e2714f7e78988c614a28a&id=3a810a3070

My Husband's Anger is Hurting All of Us May 01, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Neil responds to a mom struggling to get her husband to parent without blame and anger. After offering some context, Neil demonstrates a letter writing technique that can jumpstart the process of change.

***

Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

📘 Buy the book: https://neildbrown.com/books

👉 Take the online course: https://neildbrown.com/parent-teen-control-battle-course

📬 Sign up for my weekly newsletter: https://neildbrown.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1aa1e2714f7e78988c614a28a&id=3a810a3070

I Don't Want To Live Here Anymore Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Neil responds to a Mom struggling with what went wrong and what to do now that her daughter has moved out and is living with her grandmother.

***

Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: http://neildbrown.com/submit

📘 Buy the book: https://neildbrown.com/books

👉 Take the online course: https://neildbrown.com/parent-teen-control-battle-course

📬 Sign up for my weekly newsletter: https://neildbrown.us10.list-manage.c...

Teach Your Teen Impulse Control - Part 2 Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Neil follows last week's podcast where he responds to parents struggling with their young teenager's lack of impulse control. In this episode, Neil offers a second way to help their teenager improve and he demonstrates how to go about it.

***

Hi, I'm Neil D. Brown, psychotherapist, author, and podcaster. I've evolved a model for parents of teenagers with behavior issues. Learn more about my online course and book titled Ending the Parent-Teen Control Battle. 👉 Take the online course: neildbrown.com/parent-teen-control-battle-course 📘 Buy the book: neildbrown.com/books 📬 Sign up for my weekly Healthy Family Connections newsletter: bit.ly/4iVo3Na Get started and take the first step toward a thriving family life. ✨

Teach Your Teen Impulse Control - Part 1 Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Neil responds to parents struggling with their young teenager's lack of impulse control. Neil offers a positive way to help their teenager improve and demonstrates how to go about it. This is the first of 2 podcasts on this topic.

***

Getting Earned Privileges Right Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

Do you find yourself in a cycle of giving and taking away privileges to get your teenager to simply do their work? These parents do and Neil helps them understand how to use the shift from giving kids Consequences to giving them Earned Privileges, why it works and how to apply it in real life.

We talk about that and a whole lot more on this week's podcast, Getting Earned Privileges Right.

***

Have a question for Neil? Submit it now for discussion on a future episode of The Healthy Family Connections Podcast: https://neildbrown.com/podcasts

📘 Buy the book:https://neildbrown.com/books

👉 Take the online course: https://neildbrown.com/parent-teen-control-battle-course

📬 Sign up for my weekly newsletter: https://neildbrown.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1aa1e2714f7e78988c614a28a&id=3a810a3070

Get started and take the first step toward a thriving family life. ✨

Visit https://neildbrown.com for more resources including free assessments, guides, and plenty of content on parenting teenagers and young adults.