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Health & Fitness

Failure to Launch: Part 2

In Failure to Launch: Part 1, I focused on a few strategies for addressing issues related to adult children moving back home after periods of living independently. In this post, I will talk briefly about strategies to address situations where adult children have never moved out.

1)      If an adult child is still living at home, the first question to ask is why? Are they living at home because they can’t support themselves financially or are not capable of taking care of themselves? Are you unable/unwilling to help support them so that they can live on their own? Are they living at home because of religious or cultural customs? Are they living at home to save money? Do they want to move out? Do you want them to move out? Answering these questions is the first step in determining a plan to support your adult child and help them to move out and become independent.

2)      If your adult child is not goal directed, has a hard time keeping a job, or other related issues, there are a variety of services available to assist them. Individual therapy/career counseling can help them determine a career path and address any anxiety or other issues that may be impeding their success in the workforce. Individual therapy can also assist with basic life skills to foster increased independence. Programs are also available that provide extra support on the job, job training, and other related services, such as Cornerstone Montgomery http://cornerstonemontgomery.org/.

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3)      If your adult child is living at home, it is important to make sure that they are being as independent as possible (i.e., doing their own laundry, helping cook dinner certain nights, cleaning their room and taking turns cleaning common areas, etc.). Fostering independence while living at home is important and will greatly help your adult child transition to being on their own.

4)      For adults who may have trouble living independently, at least initially, there are programs that help with this. One such one is College Living Experience http://experiencecle.com/, which provides supported housing for young adults attending college and/or working in the community. Such programs assist with life skills and provide extra support as needed.

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There is a lot of information that could be discussed when talking about failure to launch issues. The above items are just a few of them, and are geared towards helping you to think about what you want for your adult child, what is in their best interest, and a few tools and services that can be obtained to assist with helping them to become independent and live on their own.

   In addition to regular blog updates, you can follow me through The Heller Psychology Group’s Social Media pages for daily postings of useful articles:

Dr. Carey Heller is a licensed psychologist with The Heller Psychology Group LLC in Bethesda, Maryland. He specializes in work with children, adolescents, and families, and is happy to answer questions and provide consultations for individuals who are considering pursuing treatment, an evaluation, or other services for their child, adolescent, or themselves. Dr. Heller can be reached at (301)-385-2610 or careyheller@thehellerpsychologygroup.com.


*Disclaimer: The previous information is intended as general guidance based on my professional opinion, does not constitute an established professional relationship,  and should not replace the recommendations of a psychologist or other licensed professional with whom you initiate or maintain a professional relationship*

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