For about 10 years I’ve had a sub-specialty of helping families deal with what might be called “Failure to Launch Syndrome”.
With societal and economic changes as well as technological advancements, some of today’s young adults struggle to get traction in developing their own life journey and end up residing at home. When it becomes problematic the phenomenon has become known as “Failure to Launch” syndrome. While not an actual diagnosis, Failure to Launch syndrome refers to young adults who have struggled or failed to transition into adulthood and independence. Whatever the cause, I’ve had enough families ask for help and direction that I know this is happening.
Now there’s a new issue that I see developing due to Covid 19 which has affected families that had launched young adults successfully only to have them return out of necessity and safety. Life at home is proving to be complicated for these families even if Failure to Launch isn’t the issue. I’m calling this “Return to Station syndrome”. Suddenly having two adult generations living at home (and often working from home nowadays), generates a whole new set of responsibilities and expectations. Improving communication, clarifying expectations and having clear boundaries can help these families find a more optimum and happy functioning. This is a perfect place for family therapy to help.
It’s a different situation for“Failure to Launchsyndrome”. Yet family therapy can be useful here as well.These young adults may lag behind their peers in completing schooling or maintaining employment. They may still live at home and spend an inordinate amount of time on social media or playing video games. The adult child may lack confidence or he/she has little to no work ethic and lacks goals or motivation. Other common characteristics include entitlement, social anxiety, low tolerance for stress, and failure to assume adult responsibilities. The parents come to me asking how do we help their children evolve or become motivated.
And interestingly, often the parents find they are also having difficulties moving forward in their life journey as they focus on trying to help their children get un-stuck.
If any of these bullet-points sound familiar to what’s going on in your life…
- Your adult child fails to maintain employment or stay in school
- Your adult child is anxious, depressed or lacks motivation
- You have arguments with your spouse or minor children because your adult child is still living at home
- Your adult child acts hostile, entitled and/or refuses to help out with basic chores
- You want to help motivate your adult son or daughter to finish school or improve their grades
- You need help setting structure and boundaries at home
…please give me a call or contact me through this site and we’ll talk about options. Things can change. For you. For them. For the better.