The RESET Framework: A New Way to Support Parents and Teens
Parenting a teenager today feels harder than ever.
There's no guidebook for the complex mix of emotions, pressures, and uncertainties that come with raising teens especially when they're struggling with their mental health, school challenges, friendships, or just the normal turbulence of growing up.
Through my years of experience as a therapist, parent coach, and mental health professional, I saw one pattern over and over:
Families didn’t just need advice. They needed a structured way to recognise, understand, and respond to what was really happening without getting overwhelmed or stuck in fear.
That’s where the RESET framework was born.
RESET isn’t a rigid checklist or another parenting "system."
It’s a flexible, real-world method that helps families move from stuck and scared, to supported and steady, one conversation, one decision, one step at a time.
Where the RESET Method Came From
Over years of working with families, in therapy rooms, schools, homes, and now through Parentology, I noticed a few key things:
Parents weren’t failing. They were often simply overwhelmed and under-supported.
Teens weren’t "acting out" for no reason. They were communicating the only way they knew how.
Good advice alone wasn’t enough. Parents needed emotional support just as much as strategy.
The best outcomes came when families had a simple, repeatable process to guide them through challenges, not more noise or pressure.
I developed RESET as a way to hold families steady, a method that combines the emotional depth of therapy with the practical action steps of coaching.
RESET captures what real families need most when things get hard: clarity, connection, calmness, and confidence.
What RESET Stands For
R – Recognise
First, we take time to recognise what’s really happening, underneath the behaviour, underneath the fear.
Recognising means getting curious instead of critical, seeing patterns instead of just problems.
E – Empathise
Next, we lead with empathy for yourself as a parent, and for your teen as they navigate an often overwhelming world.
Without empathy, advice feels like criticism. With it, we build trust.
S – Speak
We practice speaking clearly and calmly about what matters, setting boundaries, expressing feelings, making requests, without blame or shutdown.
E – Emotionally Regulate
Because even the best communication will fall apart if emotions are running too high.
We work together to strengthen emotional regulation skills — yours and your teen’s — so hard moments don’t spiral out of control.
T – Trust the Process
Finally, RESET teaches you to trust that small steps create big change.
It’s not about fixing everything overnight. It's about believing in growth, even when it’s messy and slow.
RESET isn't linear. Sometimes you’ll cycle through stages. Sometimes you’ll sit with one for a while. That’s normal and that's why it works in the real world.
Why RESET Works
RESET works because it meets families where they are, not where they "should" be.
It recognises that every family is different, every teen is different, and no two journeys will look the same.
It’s flexible, able to guide a one-off conversation or anchor months of support.
It’s emotional because parenting isn’t just about tactics, it’s about connection.
And it’s empowering because it gives parents tools, not just theories, to use every day.
Most importantly, RESET helps parents feel seen, supported, and strengthened so they can be the steady base their teens need.
Real Families, Real Stories
How does ti all work? Well you don’t need to worry about that. The reason I don’t have set packages is because your teen and familiy are unique and therefore we require a unique approach. Here are a few examples of families who just started with a simple phone call…
Kerry reached out exhausted and overwhelmed. Every morning had become a battleground trying to get her son out of bed for school. She felt like she was doing everything "right" but nothing was working. After a strategy session, Kerry left with a fresh understanding of teenage sleep cycles, new practical ideas to try immediately, and most importantly, the confidence to stop dreading mornings. Two weeks later, although her son's sleep habits were still a work in progress, Kerry felt calmer, more in control, and closer to her son again.
Sophie and Paul contacted Parentology after discovering that their daughter had been self-harming. They were terrified and unsure what to do next. After a conversation, they chose to begin therapy for their daughter and receive coaching themselves to get the tools they needed to support their daughter. This dual approach gave their daughter time to process what she was feeling and gave them the tools to stay steady and supportive through one of the hardest seasons of their lives.
Mina, a single mum, was struggling with her teenage son's explosive anger. She felt isolated, worn down, and constantly second-guessing herself. Through real-time voice and text support, Mina had a safe space to offload, reflect, and get instant advice during tough moments. Over a few weeks, she shifted from feeling powerless to feeling capable recognising her own strength as a mum and creating a calmer, more connected home environment.
Simon called worried about his stepdaughter, who was still deeply grieving the loss of her dad 18 months earlier. He wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was normal sadness or something more serious. After exploring all the options, Simon decided to move forward with a referral for teen counselling. His stepdaughter began therapy shortly after, and Simon and his wife were reassured knowing they also had ongoing parent support available whenever they needed it.
RESET isn’t just a method.
It’s a mindset.
It’s the belief that no matter how hard things feel right now, change is possible when we slow down, stay connected, and move one step at a time.
If you're ready to find a way forward for you and your family, not through pressure, but through understanding, I’d love to invite you to start with a Coffee & Clarity Call.
There’s no pressure, no judgment just space to be heard, supported, and find your next best step.
Because parenting teens is hard.
You deserve real support that works with you, not against you.
Speak soon,
Laura
