Support for Parents of Young Adults Struggling with Substance Use
Turn chaos and fear into connection and hope — without losing yourself in the process.
Mary Ann C. Palmer, Certified Parent Coach Trained in evidence-based approaches to family communication and positive reinforcement
~ Lived Experience ~
When Your Young Adult Is Struggling with Substance Use, Fear Can Take Over Your Life
You may find yourself constantly thinking about what to say, what not to say, and whether you're helping or making things worse. The worry doesn't shut off — late at night, during conversations, or when you're trying to focus on anything else. It can quietly consume daily life.
You may find yourself walking on eggshells, choosing your words carefully so you don't trigger another argument or shutdown. You wait for a text or call that doesn't come — or feel a knot in your stomach when it does. Maybe you've started checking — their eyes, their voice on the phone, the recycling bin — and you hate that you've become someone who checks.
I work with parents who are exhausted from trying to hold things together and unsure what actually helps anymore. My role is to support you in staying connected to your child while also regaining steadiness and influence — without control, confrontation, or losing yourself in the process. This approach is grounded in compassion, real-life experience, and evidence-based strategies designed specifically for parents.
Together we'll explore how to:
​​​Let Go of Control While Staying Connected
Feel less helpless by learning how to stay connected—even when you can’t fix
everything
Set Healthy Boundaries
Use boundaries not as walls, but as bridges to mutual respect and growth
Communicate Effectively
Have calmer, more meaningful conversations that actually reach your child
instead of ending in conflict
Take Care of Yourself
Rediscover your strength and sanity—because your healing matters, too
And More Tools to Support Lasting Change
You’ll gain practical strategies that bring relief now and build hope for the future
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A tool to help you shift from stress reactions to strength-based responses. Learn more >
Explore My Parent Coaching Services
Support for Families Through
Parent Coaching
As a certified parent coach, I guide parents through the stress and uncertainty of a young adult's substance use — with empathy, evidence-based tools, and hope. I work with parents at every stage: active use, treatment, early recovery, and long after. Once an adult child is in recovery, it becomes even more important that parents know how to show up differently.
I encourage parents to let go of control while staying connected, support positive change without taking over, and reduce the chaos in their lives by making choices that are uniquely right for them. Coaching is a goal-oriented, solution-focused approach that empowers parents to influence change while caring for their own well-being.
You Don't Have to Do This Alone
I’m the mother of a son in long-term recovery from alcohol use disorder. I know firsthand the fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty that can take over family life—and the difference the right support can make.
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My son and I have shared our family’s story together, including at a Hazelden Betty Ford community event, to offer parents hope, reduce stigma, and remind families that recovery is possible. That lived experience, combined with my professional training, shapes how I support parents today.
At a Hazelden Betty Ford community event, where my son and I shared our story
Client Testimonials
I was a mess when my adult child was in the throes of addictions. Mary Ann’s coaching expertise helped me understand addiction and realize my role was not to rescue, but rather to support sobriety and, most importantly, to be kind to myself. I am wholeheartedly grateful to her. ~ Diane
Mary Ann’s knowledge, coaching methods and personal experience gave me hope again. Session by session, I came to understand and accept my daughter’s disease, and learned to replace old coping skills with techniques and tactics that eased the madness. ~ Marcelle
FREE GUIDE FOR PARENTS
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Your child doesn’t
need to hit rock bottom
Connection & Hope introduces three evidence-based skills to help you reduce conflict, strengthen communication, and support positive change—even if your child is not ready to seek help.
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