What Your Hurting Teen Needs You To Know, Interview with Ciara Fanlo

Today, on the podcast, I talk with Ciara Fanlo. Ciara is a writer and the founder of Homing Instinct, a platform that offers support for teens and their families.

As a child and teen, Ciara felt depressed, anxious, self-harming, and suicidal. She went to countless therapists, took over a dozen medications, and was sent to a hospital, wilderness therapy, and a therapeutic boarding school. While she had some healing experiences, she largely felt that the psychiatric and residential health care systems failed to address the root causes and acknowledge the humanity and innate wisdom of teens.

After leaving treatment, Ciara committed to recovery on a different path. She came off all her medications, repaired her relationships with family, and graduated college with honors. She worked in different therapeutic settings and at a couple of large tech companies before deciding to devote her life to guiding teens. She now uses her experiences and insight to support teens in their healing. 

You’re going to love this conversation! Let’s dive in! 

What you will learn:

• What was going on when she was a teenager that she was struggling so much?
• Was there something at the time that parents could have done that would have been helpful?
• How do parents impact their kids?
• Ciara eventually found healing and actually got off medications, and graduated college with honors. What created that shift?
• What wisdom and insight Ciara has for caregivers with a troubled teen like herself. 
• What do our teens think when parents try to “help” them better? What do parents do that is helpful and not so helpful? 

Links

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook