Parenting a teen with ADHD comes with unique challenges and strains. It can be one of the most confusing and isolating experiences a parent faces, often leaving you feeling like you are navigating a difficult terrain completely alone, without a roadmap. You love your kid deeply. You’re also worn out from the daily battles, the missed deadlines, the emotional meltdowns, and the constant wondering: Am I doing this right? This group is for you. You don’t have to explain yourself here, because everyone in the room already understands.

Available to families across California, this virtual group shifts the focus from “fixing the child” to supporting the whole family system. Because when you feel more grounded and equipped, everything at home has a chance to shift — including your relationship with your teen.

What You’ll Learn

Each week, you’ll build practical tools designed specifically for the way your teen’s brain works:

• Real-World Strategies — Get approaches tailored to your teen’s brain that help them manage daily tasks, handle big emotions, and build the independence you both want.
• Your Well-Being First — Learn why managing your own stress isn’t a luxury — it’s the essential first step to being effective. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
• Creating a Calmer Home — Discover how your own reactions shape the emotional temperature of your household, and how small shifts in your approach can help your teen feel more settled.
• Support from People Who Get It — Work through everyday challenges alongside parents who truly understand your experience. No judgment, no unsolicited advice from people who’ve never been there.
• From Frustration to Understanding — Learn the why behind your teen’s behavior so you can stop fighting the behavior and start building a better relationship.

How Each Session Works

Each session uses a chapter from Cindy Goldrich’s 8 Keys to Parenting Kids & Teens with ADHD as a starting point — then we move well beyond the book. Rather than focusing on behavior control, we look at the underlying executive function challenges that drive your teen’s behavior, and how you can support them in building those skills over time.

Every session includes:

• Skills in Action — We take what you’ve read and translate it into practical action plans for your specific home environment. Theory is only useful when it actually works at 7 PM on a school night.
• Real-World Problem Solving — Bring your actual challenges to the table. We work through everyday situations together in a supportive, judgment-free space.
• Building Your Resilience — We hold each other accountable for staying calm and effective, even when things get hard. Because parenting a teen with ADHD will test your limits — and having a community helps you get back up.

The Commitment

This group runs as a 10-week closed group, which means the same parents are together for all 10 sessions. No one new joins mid-way through.

That structure is intentional. Real trust takes time to build, and the kind of honest conversation this group calls for only happens when you know the people in the room. Each week’s skills build directly on the week before — so when everyone moves through the curriculum together, you get more out of it.

We know 10 weeks is a real commitment on top of everything else you’re managing. That’s exactly why we keep the group small (10 parents max) and the sessions focused. You show up, you do the work, you leave with something useful.

Between Sessions

Private one-on-one consultations with Melissa are available between group sessions on an as-needed basis. These individual sessions provide personalized support to tailor program strategies to your family and troubleshoot your specific household challenges.

Reading List

This group is structured around two books that we’ve found genuinely helpful — not as homework requirements, but as tools you’ll actually use:

• Cindy Goldrich, 8 Keys to Parenting Children with ADHD — The primary text for this group. Each session uses a chapter as a launchpad for skill-building and discussion.
• Thomas Phelan, 1-2-3 Magic Teen: Communicate, Connect, and Guide Your Teen to Adulthood — A practical, step-by-step guide for setting limits with teens without losing your mind or your relationship. We draw on this throughout the group for real-world application.

Neither book is required before the group begins — your facilitator will guide you through what you need, when you need it.

Confidentiality & Safety

What gets shared in group stays in group. Every member agrees to full confidentiality as a condition of joining, and that agreement is what makes it possible to be truly honest with each other.

Because this is a virtual group with parents across California, we take extra care to protect your privacy within your own community. Parents from the same school, neighborhood, or social network will not be placed in the same group. We ask about your community connections during intake to make sure every parent in the group can speak freely, without worrying about running into a fellow member at school pickup.

If something comes up during the group that needs additional support — for you or another member — your facilitator, Melissa Daoud, LMFT, is equipped to respond with care and connect you to the right resources.