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Where Do I Take My Child or Loved One Who Needs More Care?

What if we tried all the meds and weekly treatments, and it's no longer enough?

In this episode, Heleen Woest sits down with Larisa Klein, MA, an Advanced Treatment Placement Specialist, to unpack one of the most terrifying moments a family can face: realizing their child or loved one needs more care than outpatient therapy can provide.

IOP. PHP. Residential. Detox.
The options feel overwhelming, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Larisa’s entire role is guiding families and clinicians through that wall. She has personally visited and vetted programs across the country. She isn’t guessing. She knows.

In this episode, we cover:

• What a Treatment Placement Specialist actually does — and why their help is free
• The difference between IOP, PHP, residential care, and detox
• How to know which level of care someone truly needs
• Why 41% of people with co‑occurring disorders receive no treatment
• How the Stages of Change model affects timing (and why pushing too hard backfires)
• What real trauma‑informed care looks like, beyond surface behavior
• When outpatient wrap‑around teams aren’t enough
  
  Connect with Larisa Klein, MA
  Advanced Treatment Placement Specialist
  Larisa.Klein@AcadiaHealthcare.com

• Visit Heleen's Blog to learn more about this topic and the research behind it: https://www.lifesolutions.io/blog/
  
  
• Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heleenwoest/videos
  
  
• Explore upcoming topics that are dropping soon on The Missing Piece: https://www.lifesolutions.io/podcast/

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Content Warning: This episode contains explicit discussions about sex, childhood sexual abuse, BDSM, and death. Listener discretion is advised.

Today we are talking about the FX mini-series Dying for Sex, based on the true story of Molly Kochan. After a terminal breast cancer diagnosis, Molly realizes she has never had an orgasm with a partner. She leaves her marriage and goes on a wild journey of sexual self-discovery before she dies. But this story is about so much more than sex—it is a profound look at childhood sexual abuse, dissociation, and what it takes to actually stay in your body and experience true intimacy.

Host Heleen Woest is joined by Certified Sex Therapist Melinda Arnold to unpack the clinical and psychological themes of the show. We explore why dissociation is such a massive barrier to connection, how gender roles keep us from honesty, and the surprising ways that BDSM and consensual power exchange can help survivors reclaim their bodies and their absolute right to say "no."

We also dive into the existential aspects of dying, the beauty of platonic love, and the crucial role of somatic work in healing. For those who don't have the stomach to watch the explicit series, we made this episode so you can learn from it without actually having to watch it.

Show Notes Links:• Melinda Arnold's Bio & Contact: https://www.waypointpdx.com/melindaarnold

• Visit Heleen's Blog to learn more about this topic and the research behind it: https://www.lifesolutions.io/blog/
  
  
• Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heleenwoest/videos
  
  
• Explore upcoming topics that are dropping soon on The Missing Piece: https://www.lifesolutions.io/podcast/

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Family estrangement is a silent epidemic leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. In this episode, Heleen Woest, LPC, sits down with fellow therapist and friend Felicia Wallberg, LPC, to unpack the rising tide of young adults cutting ties with their parents — and the profound grief it leaves on both sides.

Together, they explore the emotional dialect gap between generations, how modern trauma language and attachment theory are reshaping the way adult children interpret their childhoods, and why parents who genuinely tried their best are often the ones being cut off. They also tackle the social media trend of "you don't owe your parents anything," the paradox of staying bonded to abusive parents while estranging from imperfect ones, and what repair can actually look like when both sides are willing.

Whether you are a therapist holding space for clients on either side of this divide, a parent stuck in complicated grief, or an adult child exhausted from trying to be heard — this conversation offers compassion, nuance, and practical guidance.

This is Part 1 of a multi-part series. Stay tuned for future episodes featuring therapists from younger generations who share their perspectives on navigating best practices from both sides of the divide.

Resources & Links

Dr. Joshua Coleman — Rules of Estrangement (book recommendation)

Felicia Wallberg's bio: https://www.waypointpdx.com/feliciawallberg

Support Groups for Parents of estranged Adult Children (launching Fall 2026): https://www.waypointpdx.com/groups

• Visit Heleen's Blog to learn more about this topic and the research behind it: https://www.lifesolutions.io/blog/
  
  
• Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heleenwoest/videos
  
  
• Explore upcoming topics that are dropping soon on The Missing Piece: https://www.lifesolutions.io/podcast/