About the Author: Liz Wooten, LPC, is the founder of Enlitens and a rebellious academic dedicated to dismantling the broken mental health system. As an AuDHD therapist with years of front-line crisis experience, she brings a deep, lived understanding to her work. Read Liz’s Full Story Here
Your young adult is brilliant, creative, and full of potential. But they’re stuck. They’re struggling to manage college, hold down a job, or navigate the basic logistics of adult life. You know they need support, but you are terrified of what that “support” might turn into.
Your greatest fear is that therapy will become a permanent crutch. You’ve heard the stories. The idea of your child becoming dependent on a weekly session for the rest of their life, never learning to stand on their own two feet, is a nightmare. You want to help them launch into a confident, capable life, not build them a more comfortable nest to stay in forever.
Your fear is valid because the traditional, aimless talk therapy model can foster dependency. Without clear, skills-based goals and a defined endpoint, it can become a comfortable place to talk, not a dynamic place to build. It’s a system that can accidentally teach helplessness instead of fostering independence.
“We believe the ultimate goal of any ethical, empowering therapy is to make itself obsolete. Our job is to work ourselves out of a job.”
Let’s reframe this entirely. You are not enrolling your child in “therapy” for the rest of their life.
You are enrolling them in a highly specialized, short-term vocational school for their own brain.
Our job is not to be a lifelong emotional support system; our job is to be the master craftsperson who teaches them how to use their own unique toolkit so they can go out and build their own life. The goal is graduation.
Our skills-based therapy model is the curriculum for this trade school. We don’t do aimless talking. We do active, collaborative building. We use the “User Manual” from their assessment as the core textbook, and we get to work on practical, real-world projects.
This isn’t a vague process; it’s a curriculum. The skills your young adult will learn in our “workshop” include:
Executive Function 101: Building a personalized system for time management, task initiation, and fighting overwhelm.
Sensory Regulation Workshop: Creating a home and work environment that supports their specific nervous system needs.
Self-Advocacy Lab: Learning and practicing the scripts to ask for accommodations at work or school.
Financial Management Basics: Creating systems to track spending and pay bills on time.
“You want your child to be a confident, independent adult. We want to be the temporary workshop that gives them the tools to become one. Our goals are the same.”
You don’t want a dependent child. We don’t want a dependent client. Our goals are aligned. We are not here to be a crutch. We are here to be a launchpad. When you’re ready to enroll your young adult in a program designed to make them independent, the admissions office is here. Learn more about our specific approach for young adults.
A manifesto on our active, skills-based model that directly addresses the fear of aimless “talking.”
A foundational skill for any young adult launching their life and building healthy, independent relationships.
A practical guide to the kind of systems and tools your young adult will learn to build in our “workshop.”
*The information here is meant to guide and inform, not replace the care of a qualified healthcare professional. If you have questions or concerns about a medical or mental-health condition, please reach out to a trusted provider. The examples shared are based on general personas—no personal health details are used. At Enlitens, your privacy is a top priority, and we fully comply with HIPAA regulations to keep your information safe and confidential.
This is not a space for debate or unsolicited advice. It is a space for sharing stories. We read every submission, and we will periodically feature the most resonant and validating stories here with the author’s explicit permission. Submit your’s below!
Sharing knowledge is one of the most powerful ways to support the neurodiverse community. By spreading valuable insights, we can help more people understand and embrace their neurodiversity, leading to more fulfilling lives. Click below to share this article and make a difference!
Take one second. That’s all I’m asking.
Do not try to “calm down.” Do not try to “fix it.” Do not listen to the voice screaming that you need to do something right now.
Just be here, with me, for one single breath.
My name is Liz. I’ve spent years working overnight in the ER, sitting with people on what was often the worst night of their entire lives. I have sat in the eye of the hurricane, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the chaos you feel right now is not the truth.
It is a storm in your nervous system. And a storm is just a weather pattern. It is not you. It is not permanent. And you do not have to navigate it alone.
Right now, your brain’s alarm system is screaming. The logical part of your brain has been taken offline. That is a normal, brilliant, biological survival response. But you and I are going to bring it back online, together.
We are going to do one, simple, physical thing. This is not a bulls*hit mindfulness exercise. This is a direct, manual override for your nervous system.
Place your hand on your chest.
Can you feel that? The rise and fall. The rhythm. That is the anchor. That is the proof that you are here, in this moment, and you are alive.
Keep your hand there.
Now, we are going to make one choice. The storm is telling you there are a million overwhelming things you have to do. That is a lie. There are only three choices right now, and you only need to pick one.
This is the button you push when you need the paramedics or the police to show up. This is the “bring the fire truck” button.
This is the national, 24/7 lifeline. It is free, it is confidential, and it is staffed by trained counselors who are ready to listen without judgment. This is the “I need a lifeline” button.
Behavioral Health Response (BHR) is our community’s lifeline. They provide free, confidential telephone counseling and can connect you with local resources. This is the “I need a local guide” button.