It’s been quite an incredible feeling like somebody else is doing some of the lifting for us emotionally. The amount of energy and support Laura puts into this is incredible. I feel like there’s a foundation underneath me somehow, and that has made such a difference. I really, really appreciate it.
A.T.
The silent treatment that lasts three days.
The panic attack and the text message that says MUM I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE.
The moment you open your mouth and don't know if the next sentence helps or wrecks everything.
Your family doesn't struggle for one hour a week.
This is the hardest part for parents.
They have a teenager who is struggling, while also holding down jobs, caring for other children and running the household. They don't need another appointment to organise. They need to know what to do now.
They are worn out and tired.
And the whole family feels it.
I’ve felt completely seen and supported, even when I didn’t feel like I was doing a great job as a parent.
In-Touch parent
- Do you rehearse conversations in your head before you've even had them?
- Do you replay the ones you already had, wondering if you made it worse?
- Has one wrong word turned into slammed doors, silence, or tears (and you still don't know which word it was)?
- Are you the calm one on the outside and completely out of your depth on the inside?
You're doing an impossible job with no instructions and no backup.
Getting your teen into therapy is the right move. The right therapist helps change things.
But there's a wall around that hour. Whatever your teen works through in session stays in session.
You don't get the "why."
You get the aftermath, and you have to guess your way around it.
You drive your teen home after their counselling session.
You’re eager to ask “how did it go?”, but you drive in silence, just to keep the peace.
Maybe you’ll ask them over a cup of tea and their favourite chocolate this evening.
But when you arrive at your house, your teen runs to their room without saying a word.
Standing in the hallway, watching their door close a little harder than usual, you’re now trying to read an entire counselling session off the sound of it.
So you’re dealing with the extra expenses and logistics of teen therapy sessions, but YOU are still the buffer in the family.
You are the one standing between your teen and their sibling at the dinner table, moving the conversation away from anything that might land wrong, watching everyone eat in a silence you carefully engineered.
You are the one dealing with it in real time.
Your teen sits across from someone whose whole job is to help them make sense of this.
You sit outside a closed door, piecing together a session from a slammed door, a silent dinner, and a phone screen that won’t go off until hours past midnight.
It’s like you’re trying to read a room you’re not allowed to enter.
Maybe you don’t even want to read that room anymore, except if you aren’t, who will?
Because this is not a therapy gap.
It’s a parenting-alone gap.
And it's the one nobody built anything for… until now.
Not another appointment to manage.
Practical support for you in the same hours your family actually struggles, the school morning, the car journey, the difficult conversation and the light still on late at night.
You message me when it's happening.
You don't have to remember every detail until your next appointment.
You can send a private voice or written message while the situation is still fresh, explain what has happened and tell me what you are worried about.
I respond during my weekday working hours, usually on the same working day, with guidance built around that exact situation.
That might be a suggested response, a conversation script, reassurance about what may be happening underneath your teenager's behaviour, or a clear next step.
You are still the parent making the decision. The difference is that you are no longer making it alone.
Not a replacement for therapy.
Not another professional who only sees one part of the picture.
Someone in your corner for the moments you have been handling by yourself.
You can cover so much outside of sessions on Voxer, so that the session really targets what’s going on for your child. Makes the best use of time and gives your child the support they need. 100% recommend! At first I was a bit ambivalent about the Voxer element but it was a lifesaver. I can’t imagine how we’d have covered so much ground without it. It means the work continues outside of sessions and as a parent you’re empowered and supported. Particularly useful for a younger child.
S.L., In-Touch parent
Traditional weekly therapy is not broken.
It's just doing exactly what it was built for.
Weekly sessions give your teenager somewhere to reflect, understand what is happening underneath the anxiety or shutdown, and begin making sense of it.
That work matters.
But much of the change your family needs has to be understood and practised outside the counselling room.
It helps you respond differently while everyday family life is unfolding.
→ It happens in the car on the drive home, in whether you ask how it went or just let the silence be.
→ It happens at the dinner table, in whether you push a little or let it go.
→ It happens at midnight, staring at the light still on under their door, trying to decide if tonight is a "check on them" night or a "give them space" night.
These are the moments where trust is built, conflict is reduced and you begin to feel more confident about what to say and do.
Real life doesn't wait for an appointment. In-Touch gives you somewhere to bring those situations while they are still fresh, so you can stop relying on guesswork and start responding with a clear plan.
Just knowing I could message you if something came up and I didn’t know what to do was honestly such a lifeline, you’d come back quickly with advice or action steps that actually helped. It made me feel supported and less alone in it all.
In-Touch parent
If you're reading this and thinking, “this is exactly the bit nobody is helping me with,” the next step is simply a conversation.
Book a Call With LauraPractical support built around real family life.
An initial 60-minute Strategy Session
One hour, and you walk away with an actual plan instead of a head full of notes you're left to make sense of alone. Next time something happens, you already know what to do.
Full weekday support, Monday to Friday, through the Voxer app
You can send a voice or written message whenever something happens. I respond during my weekday working hours, usually on the same working day, so concerns do not have to wait until another appointment.
Tailored psychological guidance and psychoeducation
Every bit of guidance is built around your teen and your family, not some general parenting article. It already fits your life. You're not left doing the work of adapting it yourself.
Practical strategies and suggested conversation scripts
No more scrambling for the right words in the exact moment they matter most. You'll have them ready, so what comes out is what you meant to say.
Support while situations are still fresh
You can explain what has happened without waiting days to discuss it. I help you understand the situation and decide on a calm, practical next step.
Help understanding what may sit beneath a teenager's behaviour
That slammed door stops being just a slammed door. Once you understand what's underneath the behaviour, you know how to respond to it instead of just reacting to it.
Guidance around boundaries, communication and parenting decisions
Screen time, pushing versus backing off, the hard calls are still yours to make, but now you're not making them alone. No more second-guessing yourself after the fact.
Support with parents' own fear, frustration and emotional responses
Your own fear and exhaustion need somewhere to go too, before they come out sideways at the dinner table. Looking after your reactions becomes part of the support, not one more thing you're carrying by yourself.
Longer-term guidance around school, exams and educational decisions
This isn't just about getting through tonight. It's support for the decisions shaping where your teen ends up, so that's one less thing you're figuring out solo.
Liaison with schools where appropriate and with consent
One phone call, one conversation, taken off your plate entirely. With your consent, it happens without you having to be the one to make it.
Thank you so much for all the support you've given us. It has been invaluable, not only for V but for us as parents too. You gave us reassurance, confidence and practical advice that we could actually use. Your knowledge is obvious, but what really stood out was the way you packaged it into positive, real-world guidance. Family life feels more connected, communication has improved, and we genuinely feel more confident as parents. Working with you has been an absolute pleasure, and we wouldn't hesitate to come back in the future.
D.H., In-Touch parent
Two clear ways to work with me.
Both options give you direct weekday access to me through private voice and written messages. The difference is whether you also want regular sessions.
In-Touch Core
Best if you want consistent guidance, reassurance and practical help between the moments that are difficult.
- An initial 60-minute Strategy Session and clear starting plan
- Weekday support through private voice and written messages
- Tailored strategies, scripts and psychoeducation
- Guidance around anxiety, school, behaviour, boundaries and family communication
- School liaison where appropriate and with consent
In-Touch Plus
Best if you want weekday guidance alongside regular sessions for a parent, teenager or the family together.
- Everything included in In-Touch Core
- Two 60-minute sessions each month
- Sessions used flexibly for a parent, teenager or family
- Support between sessions so progress continues in everyday life
- A joined-up plan that considers the whole family
Both options run monthly with no fixed-term contract. You can give seven days' notice before your next renewal. In-Touch is not an emergency or out-of-hours crisis service.
Award-winning psychotherapist, parenting coach, mentor and doctoral researcher.
I’m also a mum of two teenagers. So I understand the reality, the slammed doors, the exam stress, the constant negotiations.
Since 2003, I’ve supported families through the hardest parts of adolescence, anxiety, shutdowns, school refusal, emotional outbursts, and everything in between.
I’ve worked with families, spoken in schools, trained professionals, and written two bestselling books.
Over time, I noticed the same pattern.
When a teen is struggling, parents are often left out of the picture.
Schools focus on behaviour.
Services focus on waiting lists.
And parents are told to “hold the line”, without being shown how.
Parentology was created to change that.
To give parents and teens practical support that actually works in real life.
If you're tired of being told to "hold the line" without anyone actually showing you how, I'd love to talk it through with you.
Book a call and we'll figure out together what's going on for your family, and whether In-Touch is the kind of support you need right now.
Book a Call With LauraThe questions parents usually have before we talk.
Is this instead of my teen's therapy, or on top of it?
It can work alongside your teenager's therapy, but your teenager does not have to be in therapy for you to use In-Touch.
If they already see someone, that confidential therapeutic work continues. In-Touch supports you with what happens between appointments: the school morning, the drive home, the family argument and the decisions you are left making in everyday life.
Is this for me, or my teen?
The weekday In-Touch messaging is primarily for you as the parent. It gives you somewhere private to think, plan and work out what to say or do next.
If you choose In-Touch Plus, the two monthly sessions can be used flexibly for you, your teenager or your family together, depending on what will be most helpful.
What does it look like when I message you?
You can send a private voice or written message explaining what has happened and what you are worried about. It might be a difficult school morning, a message from your teenager that has alarmed you, or a conversation you are unsure how to approach.
I respond with guidance that fits your family. That may include reassurance, a suggested conversation, a practical strategy or questions that help us understand what is happening underneath the behaviour.
How quickly will you get back to me?
You can leave a message whenever something happens, so you do not have to hold every detail in your head until an appointment. I respond during my weekday working hours, usually on the same working day.
Messages sent late at night, at weekends or on bank holidays will be picked up when my working hours resume. In-Touch is responsive ongoing support, but it is not an instant-response or out-of-hours crisis service.
I honestly don't even know what's wrong with me. Or my teen. Is that okay?
More than okay. Most parents reach out without being able to put their finger on it, and that's usually exactly the point. We'll figure it out together, even if all you can say is "something feels off and I don't know what."
How much does this cost?
In-Touch Core is £499 per month and includes an initial Strategy Session plus full weekday messaging support.
In-Touch Plus is £699 per month and includes everything in Core plus two 60-minute sessions each month, used flexibly for a parent, teenager or family.
Both options run monthly with no fixed-term contract. We will talk through what your family needs before you make any decision.
What if it doesn't help?
I cannot promise a particular outcome or guarantee that every strategy will work immediately. Families are different, and progress depends on your circumstances and how consistently the support is used.
What I can promise is that we will review what is and is not helping, adapt the approach and be honest about whether In-Touch remains the right support. There is no fixed-term contract, and you can give seven days' notice before your next monthly renewal.
Will I feel pressured to sign up on the call?
Not at all. The call is so we can figure out together if this is the right fit. You'll leave with more clarity either way, whether you decide to move forward or not.
My teen refuses to talk to anyone. Can this still help?
Absolutely. In fact, many of the parents I support have teenagers who won't engage with therapy, refuse appointments, or simply aren't ready to talk.
In-Touch Core is about supporting you. Together we focus on changing the environment around your teen, helping you respond differently, reduce conflict, build trust and feel more confident, even when your teen isn't willing or able to engage yet.
Sometimes that's enough to create change. Sometimes it helps a young person become ready for support later. Either way, you don't have to sit and wait feeling helpless.
What if my teen is already working with you?
That's absolutely fine.
When I'm supporting both a parent and a teenager, the work has different purposes. My sessions with your teen remain their confidential space. In-Touch gives you somewhere to think, plan and respond as a parent without relying on your teen to tell you what happened in their session.
It means the whole family feels supported, whilst respecting everyone's boundaries.
What kinds of things can I message you about?
Almost anything that's happening in day-to-day family life.
Parents often message me about:
- school refusal
- anxiety before school
- arguments at home
- friendship fallouts
- gaming or screen time
- difficult conversations
- worrying changes in behaviour
- boundaries and consequences
- exam stress
- relationships
- knowing whether to step in or step back
If you're wondering whether something is "worth messaging about", it probably is.
Is there a limit to how much I can message?
No counting messages.
Most parents naturally send a few messages each week, whilst others need more support during particularly difficult periods and very little during calmer weeks.
I'm there to provide practical support when you need it, whilst making sure the service remains sustainable for everyone.
Is this crisis support?
No.
If you or your child are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health crisis, emergency or NHS services are always the right place to contact.
In-Touch is designed for ongoing support, guidance and problem solving during everyday parenting challenges.
How long do parents usually stay?
There's no fixed commitment.
Some families need support for a couple of months to get through a difficult period. Others stay for much longer because they value having someone in their corner as new challenges arise.
We'll regularly review how things are going together.
You don't need me to tell you time matters here.
You already know that, or you wouldn't have read this far.
The pattern you're in right now, the guessing, the silence at dinner, the bracing yourself before you even open your mouth, doesn't stay the same.
It either gets a little easier because something's helping, or it keeps quietly setting in because nothing's changed.
There's no countdown on this page, and I'm not going to pretend there is.
But every week you wait is another week of doing this the way you've been doing it.
And you already know how that week goes.
So if any of this sounds like your house, I'd like to invite you to schedule a call with me. Or contact me here.
Not to sell you on anything. Just to talk through what's going on for your family, and figure out together whether In-Touch is the right fit, or whether something else makes more sense for where you are right now.
You've already spent a lot of energy trying to hold this together on your own.
This call doesn't have to be one more thing you carry by yourself.
Book a Call With Laura