Empower My Teen

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Empower My Teen Your teen is struggling and you don’t know what to do next. Let’s get your good kid back.

I’ve spent 20 years walking parents through behavioral and mental health challenges: therapeutic placement, case management, after-care, and advocacy. Since 2002, Mary Warren has empowered parents of struggling teens across Washington State and nationwide. A therapeutic and educational consultant and life and parenting coach, her personal journey with two of three of her children spiraling led her to this rewarding work. With over two decades of experience, Mary's specialty is guiding families of at-risk teens to find a path to healing by finding the right mental health programs for each child's unique needs including wilderness therapy, therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment and more. Learn more about Mary's inspiring story on the Empower My Teen website (founded in 2008).

"Your teen may not always say what they need, but they always need to know you're still there."- Mary WarrenEmpowerMyTee...
10/10/2026

"Your teen may not always say what they need, but they always need to know you're still there."

- Mary Warren

EmpowerMyTeen.com

You can change your mind. Sometimes, as parents, we make a decision and feel like changing it means we got it wrong. But...
10/07/2026

You can change your mind. Sometimes, as parents, we make a decision and feel like changing it means we got it wrong. But a decision that made sense at the time may not make sense now. Maybe you've had time to think about it. Or maybe you realize the decision you made isn't working. It's okay to change your mind when you have new or different information. 💛

🎙️ Empower My Teen PodcastOne of the reasons I started this podcast was to have the kinds of conversations I know parent...
10/05/2026

🎙️ Empower My Teen Podcast

One of the reasons I started this podcast was to have the kinds of conversations I know parents need when they're trying to figure out how to help their teen.

Every other week, I sit down and talk about the questions, fears, decisions, and challenges that come with parenting a teen who may be struggling. I share what I've learned from walking alongside families over the years, along with practical guidance that I hope helps you feel a little more confident about what your next step might be.

My next episode of Empower My Teen airs Tuesday, October 15th. 💛

🎧 EPISODE 13 - AVAILABLE NOWMaking the decision to send your child to a higher level of care is something no parent take...
10/01/2026

🎧 EPISODE 13 - AVAILABLE NOW

Making the decision to send your child to a higher level of care is something no parent takes lightly.

By the time you reach that point, you’ve probably already tried everything you know how to do. You’ve hoped things would get better, held onto the good stretches, and wondered if maybe you had finally turned a corner.

In this episode, I talk about what happens emotionally when you realize your child may need more help than you can provide at home, and why making that decision doesn’t necessarily quiet the fear.

Did I make the right choice?
Will treatment work?
What happens if things get hard again?

These are difficult questions, and they don’t always have simple answers.

Let’s talk about what it means to make one of the hardest decisions a parent can face, and what you may need to remember along the way.

🎧 Listen to Episode 13 at EmpowerMyTeen.com.

09/30/2026

💙 Parent Pause

There can be a moment as a parent when you realize:

This isn’t getting any better.

You’ve given another second chance. Tried another fresh start. Things may even improve for a while, and you let yourself believe...

Maybe we’ve finally turned a corner.

And then you find yourself right back in the same place.

That realization can be heartbreaking, but it can also be important.

Sometimes loving your child means recognizing that what they’re facing may be bigger than what you can handle at home...

And that they may need more help.

Recognizing that can be incredibly hard. 💙

All episodes at EmpowerMyTeen.com

09/29/2026

What happens when you’ve tried everything you know how to do...

And you begin to realize your child may need more help than you can provide at home?

It’s a realization that can bring fear, guilt, and a hundred questions all at once.

Am I making the right decision?

What if treatment doesn’t work?

What if things get better... and then fall apart again?

In this week’s Empower My Teen, I’m talking about one of the hardest decisions a parent can face, and the emotions that don’t simply disappear once that decision is made.

🎧 Sneak Peek - New episode this Thursday!

As parents, our instinct is often to protect our kids from hard things.We want to fix it, make it easier, or keep them f...
09/22/2026

As parents, our instinct is often to protect our kids from hard things.

We want to fix it, make it easier, or keep them from making a mistake.

But sometimes, when we take away the hard thing, we also take away the lesson that comes with it.

They need opportunities to make their own choices, experience the outcome, and learn from it.

We can support them without removing every hard thing from their path.

💛

🎧 EPISODE 12 - AVAILABLE NOWHave you ever found yourself arguing with your child about something you know isn't true?“Yo...
09/17/2026

🎧 EPISODE 12 - AVAILABLE NOW

Have you ever found yourself arguing with your child about something you know isn't true?

“You don't trust me.”

“You never do anything for me.”

“You don't love me.”

Our instinct as parents is often to defend ourselves. We start listing the evidence, explaining what really happened, or trying to convince our child that their version is wrong.

But sometimes there’s another question worth asking:

What are they experiencing that makes this feel true to them?

In Episode 12 of Empower My Teen, I’m talking about the complicated space between feelings, perceptions, and facts, and what happens when you and your child see the same situation very differently.

You don’t have to automatically agree with your child. And being curious about their perspective doesn't mean giving up your own.

Sometimes there’s truth on both sides. Sometimes there isn't.

And sometimes you may not be disagreeing about what happened as much as how each of you experienced it.

It doesn't always have to be about figuring out who's right or wrong.

Sometimes what matters more is that we stay in the conversation and stay connected.

🎧 Listen to Episode 12 at EmpowerMyTeen.com.

09/16/2026

💛 Parent Pause

Your child's feelings are real.

That doesn't necessarily mean everything they're saying is factually true.

There's an important difference between validating how our kids feel and automatically agreeing with their version of what happened.

We can listen and be curious while trying to understand their perspective...

And still disagree.

When your child says something that makes you immediately think...

"That’s not true.”

Sometimes giving the conversation just a little more room can help us understand what’s underneath what they're saying.

A simple...

“Tell me more about that.”
..might give you a chance to hear something you didn't hear the first time. 💛

—> empowermyteen.com

09/15/2026

Have you ever had your child say something and everything inside of you immediately wants to respond...

"That's not true"?

I think most of us have.

But what might happen if, instead of immediately correcting them, we waited for a minute?

Not because they're necessarily right.

Not because we're necessarily wrong.

But because we may not understand yet why they see the situation the way they do.

In this week's episode of Empower My Teen, I'm talking about what happens when parents and kids experience the exact same situation very differently, and how getting curious before we respond can change the conversation.

Sometimes a simple...

"Tell me more about that."
..can open a door that "That's not true" immediately closes.

🎧 Here's a sneak peek at Episode 12.

Address

Office
Sumner, WA
98390

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(877) 859-8336

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