In this episode, Alisa Foreman and I discuss young adults, particularly the struggles that some of them experience with transitioning into independent adulthood, and how we can best support them. You may have heard the term “failure to launch”, which basically means that an individual who has the ability to move into independent adulthood has not yet been able to do so, and there can be a variety of reasons for that. Alisa and I give some examples of how parents can help young adults transition into adulthood successfully.

Alisa has a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. She has a strong passion for the field of psychology and supporting others on their life path through the power of therapy. Alisa is the clinical director at Optimum Performance Institute and has been a part of that team for the past 11 years. She is enthusiastic about the work that she does there and the opportunity to help young adults on their journey to independence. She believes in the importance of finding joy and balance in life and building a healthy repertoire of skills to manage day-to-day life.

Episode Highlights
What is OPI (Optimum Performance Institute)?
- OPI is a residential treatment program for young adults of all genders, ages 17 to about 28
- Help young adults find the balance between clinical work and the community integration
* Help them work through emotional issues that interfere with them managing the day-to-day tasks
* Help get them out in the community to explore different areas of interest
- Help them learn how to balance school, work, relationships, self-care, and independent living skills all at once.
* It’s a very phased approach where there is a lot of structure and supervision at the beginning, then as they learn and grow we back off the support so they can gain more independence
- By the time they leave, they have a sense of where they’re headed, they have a plan, they have things they enjoy, they know the skills they’re strong at, they know what their areas of challenges are

The K-12 cliff
- Often young adults get overwhelmed because k-12 is very structured then they graduate and there is no set path
* Some go off to college and really struggle because that doesn’t feel like the right fit for them
* Some are overwhelmed by the vast options of what to do once they graduate high school
- For those who relied on the support and services at school, for special needs or academic help, it is shocking because those services drop off immediately after they graduate

Other factors that make it hard for young adults to feel independent
- Parents wanting to make their kid’s lives easy, enabling
* Young adults realize “I don’t know how to do my laundry, cook meals, go grocery shopping, or budget.”
- Parents being overindulgent or overly concerned about kids staying comfortable and not having to feel negative emotions impact their mental health and resilience
* Some kids get in this mindset that “Either I am 100% successful and perfect at what I’m doing, or I’m not going to do it at all.”

Strategies for launching your child into adulthood successfully
- Address any mental health issues first
- Start teaching them life skills at a young age
- Make it fun to help with the laundry
- Give them a little budget to buy things at the grocery store and let them make the transaction
- Involve them in planning and logistics for the week or for the weekend
- Have them create an agenda for a vacation
Involve them in the cooking and meal planning for the week
- Help them build morning routines – wake up with an alarm clock – what needs to happen to start the day off right
- Help them create evening routines – how to wind down form the day and how to prepare for the next day
- Set clear boundaries

Third-party
- It can be extremely helpful to partner with a third partner to help your child stay motivated. Whether that be a therapist, mentor, life coach etc.

RESOURCES & LINKS:
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Life Will Get Better [Book] - [ Ссылка ]
Dr. Nicole Beurkens [Website] - [ Ссылка ]
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