A Support Group for Parents of Tweens & Teens
Parenting your teenager: connecting while they grow
The place to say the things you can't say anywhere else
An in-person group for parents living the reality of tweens and teenagers — warm, honest, grounded in connection, and judgement-free.
WHEN
Six Wednesdays, 10am–12pm, plus an online session from 16 September
WHERE
A private barn just outside of Frome
£20 each session
or £120 if you pay in full
Parenting a teen can be lonely
There are things that are hard to admit about parenting a teenager.
That you miss the closeness you used to have. That sometimes you don't particularly like them. That it's harder, lonelier and more confusing than anyone warned you about. That you've read the books, you believe in connection — and yet here you are, standing on the other side of a closed door, wondering what on earth just happened.
This is your space to say all of it.
In person, with other parents who get it. And the enormous relief of finally not doing this on your own.
what's really going on
The door slamming. The one-word answers. The vanishing into a screen.
None of it means something's wrong with your child, or that you're a bad parent and none of it is permanent.
Their brain is doing enormous work right now, working out who they are. Their thinking brain goes offline more easily while all that's happening, so feelings come out bigger and faster than they used to. This is development. It's not attitude.
And that slammed door isn't disrespect. Even though it doesn't seem like it, it's actually trust. You're just the person they know can take it. But how do you tell the difference between a strop that's a hard day offloading, and something that needs your attention?
There's grief in this too, and it rarely gets named. Missing the closeness you used to have is real. Fear of the world they are stepping into. Questioning whether you trust your early parenting enough, or trust the world enough to hold them.
The other side of the grief and pain is connection, clarity and joy. It's possible to find it when you take the time to slow down and drop the lonely load.
What we'll cover together
Over six sessions, we'll work through the moments that make parenting a teenager feel hard, and find your way back to closeness.
Understanding your teenager, and yourself
What's really going on for your teen, and how your own teenage years shape the way you respond to theirs.
Enjoying your teenager: playfulness and delight
Rediscovering genuine delight in your teen, and clearing what gets in the way of it.
Staying close when they push you away
How to stay connected without chasing, and how to really listen without leaping in to fix.
When your teenager pushes your buttons
Untangling your own triggers from what's actually happening with your teen, so you can respond the way you want to.
Setting limits, staying connected
Determining when to set a limit and when to allow your teen the freedom to decide for themselves.
Letting go without giving up
Supporting your teen to take responsibility for themselves, mistakes and all, while keeping your connection strong.
How each session works
Every session runs the same rhythm. You'll leave each week with one thing to try.
- 1A warm check-in and reflections from the week
- 2Teaching on the week's theme
- 3Listening Time in small groups
- 4Group discussion - working through real situations
What happens in the group
This is a group, warm and real, held with care, where parents come to say what's actually going on and think through challenges together.
Space to say the real stuff
There aren't many places you get to speak honestly, without being judged for it. This is one of them.
Parents who genuinely get it
The enormous relief of being in a room with people living exactly this, and not pretending otherwise.
A new lens on the behaviour
Grounded in Aware Parenting, Hand in Hand Parenting and Somatic Experiencing. You'll learn what's really underneath your teenager's behaviour, and your own.
What you need as a parent
Connecting with your teen starts with connecting with yourself. You matter here just as much as they do.
I found the group really helpful in terms of connecting better with my teens (one girl aged 13, one boy aged 17).
It helped me to understand that importance, in particular, of listening without suggesting advice. It enabled me to process deep emotions about my own childhood and my children's experiences which were getting in the way of moving forward.
I'm so grateful for the course, thank you.
Is this for you?
You don't have to have parented consciously from the start. You just have to want a different way.
YOU MIGHT BE
Dates & Times
Wednesday mornings, 10am – 12pm
£20 per session
- In-person session
- WhatsApp group support between sessions (if you book 2 or more)
Or £120 paid in full, which includes:
- Six in-person sessions
- WhatsApp group support between sessions
- A FREE online support session over half term
Where we meet
In a private barn, just outside of Frome. There's something about being held in that space — away from the house, away from the school run, away from the to-do list — that lets you actually breathe.
Who holds the group
Helena and Lizzie bring between them a depth of lived and professional experience in this work. The group is facilitated with warmth, with real knowledge of what's underneath teen behaviour, and with enormous compassion for how hard the parent's seat can be.
There is no judgement in this group. Not of your teenager. Not of the choices you've made. Not of where you are right now.
Lizzie Dekkers
I'm a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and in Hand in Hand Parenting coach, a connection-based approach to helping families thrive.
Parenting wasn't mean to be done in isolation. As a mum to a 16 year old and 14 year old, who have both been homeschooled and traditionally educated, I know firsthand the joys and challenges of raising teenagers through shifting education and family landscapes.
My work is about lifting the heaviness of overwhelm, shame and burnout, and clearing a path back to connection, laughter and resilience. Whether your teen is falling apart or you are feeling completely stuck, you don't have to carry it alone.
I bring curiosity, warmth, and trauma-informed support to every session - and you are welcome here, exactly as you are.
Lizzie held the group so well, I felt held, listened to and the content was clear.
I left feeling light. Just would like more groups with her!
Helena Mooney
I'm a Certified Aware Parenting Instructor, Certified Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor and Doula, with over 10 years' experience working with families.
I run Parenting with Play, a podcast, coaching practice and courses offering support that's trauma-informed and connection-based. My approach is down-to-earth, playful and practical, and I'm passionate about bringing this work to parents in a way that removes the pressure to be perfect. Instead, it focuses on strengthening their relationship with their children, becoming more confident as parents, and having fun as a family, even in the hardest seasons.
I believe the teenage years don't have to mean drifting apart. With the right support, they can be a time of real connection, honesty and even delight. That's what I love helping parents rediscover.
I have an 18 year old daughter and a 12 year old son, so I'm living these years right now, too!
Helena managed to unlock something within me. She created a safe and non-judgmental space, offering profound compassion and empathy. Since beginning my journey with her, I have experienced remarkable progress in various aspects of my life.
The growth I have witnessed has been nothing short of remarkable.
Come and say the things you can't say anywhere else
Parenting is not about being perfect or always getting it right. It's about being able to notice, reflect, and course-correct — and having a space in which to do it.
A space where you can hear other parents grappling with the same difficulty and nuance. Where you can come back, again and again, to what matters — and to tools for fostering deep connection with a teenager who sometimes makes that feel impossible.
We'd love to have you with us.
FAQs
Absolutely not. Many parents arrive at this kind of work further down the road, carrying guilt about the years before. One of the things we talk about openly in the group is repair — the fact that it's never too late to change the relationship. You're welcome here exactly as you are.
The group is for parents of tweens and teens — roughly ages 9 to 18. If you're watching the shift begin with a younger child, you're just as welcome as someone in the thick of the older teen years.
No — this is a parenting support group, not therapy. Helena & Lizzie are parenting coaches, not therapists. The group is a warm, facilitated space to think more deeply about parenting and connection. For clinical concerns — including self-harm, eating difficulties, or serious mental health worries — we always signpost to appropriate professional support alongside this work.
Not at all as we know life gets busy, so come when you can. The more you come, the more you'll be able to relax within the group as you come to know and trust them more. So do whatever works best for you. We look forward to seeing you!
That's really understandable. Lizzie & Helena hold this group with a lot of care. There's no pressure to share anything you're not ready to talk about. Most parents find that simply being in a room with people who genuinely get it is enough in itself, especially at first.