In this episode of The Positively Healthy Mom, we sit down with Dr. Jerry Weichman, a clinical psychologist, adolescent specialist, and parenting expert with nearly three decades of experience.

If you are a mom feeling like you are constantly overthinking things and just not being present with your kids, or if you are watching your teenager struggle with future anxiety and just not being in control of their reactions, this episode is just what you need. Dr. Jerry Weichman shares actionable mental health tools and frameworks designed to help parents effectively model resilience and quiet confidence for their kids.

Key Conversations in This Episode:

• Life is the "Guy in the Van": Utilizing Dr. Jerry's powerful visual analogy to instill an unshakeable fighting spirit and resilience in your teen.
• Thoughts Create Problems, Actions Fix Them: Breaking the vicious cycle of teen and parent overthinking and learning how to pivot to actionable solutions.
• The Here and Now Protective Bubble: Practical grounding tools to pull anxious teens out of future-based fear-mongering (like AI and career stress) and back into the present moment.
• The Weichman Clinic Team Approach: Why treating a teenager in isolation fails, and how evaluating the entire holistic family system creates lasting mental wellness.

• How do I help my teen handle future anxiety about college and careers?
  
  • Answer: Help them shift focus away from variables they cannot control (like shifting job markets or AI technology) and anchor them in their actions, reactions, and the tangible characteristics they bring to the table right now.
    

• What is the true definition of bullying, and how should my teen respond?
  
  • Answer: Bullying is a repeated, power-imbalanced event meant to degrade. Dr. Jerry notes that “mean” kids act out of unresolved pain. Teaching your teen to recognize this lets them rise above the situation with pity rather than matching the anger.

Meet Our Expert: Dr. Jerry Weichman, Ph.D., is the founder of The Weichman Clinic and its Teen Brain Program in Costa Mesa, CA, as well as the creator of the Raising Families podcast and resource hub.

• Website: raisingfamiliespodcast.com & theweichmanclinic.com
• Instagram: @drjerryweichman
• YouTube: @RaisingFamilieswithDrJW

Resources From Your Host, Laura Ollinger

• Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoaching
• Emotional College Prep for Teen Girls: Register for Positively Healthy University
• Support the Show: Rate the Positively Healthy Mom podcast here!

In this episode of The Positively Healthy Mom, we sit down with Katie May, a licensed therapist, author, speaker, and the founder of Creative Healing—a multi-location teen support center in the Philadelphia area to discuss strategies for parenting teens with self-destructive behaviors.

This episode is a must-listen for moms of deeply feeling, highly sensitive teenagers who experience extreme emotional dysregulation and high-risk behaviors, offering practical strategies to move your household from a state of constant crisis into a place of calm and connection.

• Understanding why some teenagers are genetically hardwired to experience the world with raw, intense emotions, and why traditional parenting advice fails them.
  
• A clear breakdown of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), how it differs from traditional CBT, and why it is the gold standard for treating severe emotional reactivity and self-harm in teenagers.
  
• How a teen's emotional baseline can get trapped in an ongoing cycle of stress, and how parents can use environmental changes to help them "zero out" and calm down.
  
• Concrete advice on how parents can navigate the emotional grief of letting go of the parenting journey they expected so they can show up for the teen they have.
  

Highly sensitive teens often experience an accumulation of nervous system stress that never fully returns to baseline. Because they are easily triggered, they get re-activated before they can fully calm down, making minor incidents feel like major crises.

Katie May is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), author, speaker, and group practice owner who founded Creative Healing, a specialized center dedicated to supporting teenagers and their families. She specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and is passionate about giving parents the practical toolkits they need to understand their teen's intense inner world and foster long-term resilience.Connect With Katie May

• Katiekmay.com
• @katiekmay on IG
• Purchase Katie’s Book - You’re On Fire, It’s Fine

Resources From Your Host, Laura Ollinger

• Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoaching
• Emotional College Prep for Teen Girls on July 14th, 2026: Register for Positively Healthy University
• Support the Show: Rate the Positively Healthy Mom podcast here!

In this episode of The Positively Healthy Mom, we are breaking down the ultimate guide to college transition prep. We sit down with Lara Becker, founder of The Dorm Guide and author of The Dorm Room Guide, to cut through the consumer noise and focus on what your rising college freshman actually needs for a happy, healthy, realistic and budget-friendly move-in day.

Lara shares her expert, practical advice on navigating the emotional "senior summer" rollercoaster, stepping back to let your teen take the lead, and avoiding the over-shopping trap fueled by viral TikTok and Instagram dorm reveals.

• Why you should throw out standard retail packing lists and what the true essentials are.
• How to avoid the "Ritz-Carlton" dorm trend and style a functional, comfortable space without overspending.
• Understanding your teen's complex emotions and back-and-forth behavior before they leave.
• Practical ways to give your rising college student real responsibility before move-in day.
• Why a simple measuring tape is your best friend during college visits.

Whether you are feeling the emotional weight of letting go or just trying to figure out how to fit your life into an extra-long twin bed setup, this episode is the perfect antidote to back-to-school anxiety. Tune in for an honest, grounded conversation that balances the logistics of packing with the heart of parenting.

• Positively Healthy University - Right now she can handle her schedule, her grades, her responsibilities. What she's still building is the emotional toolkit she'll need when she's on her own. Enroll her in Positively Healthy University today!
• Connect On Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoaching
• Let’s Work Together To Make Your Connection With Your Teen or Young Adult Joyful!
• Rate this podcast!