Family Support & Relationship Recovery Coaching
Private, trauma informed support for parents, partners, and loved ones of people struggling with alcohol or addiction.
Support for your nervous system, not just theirs.
This Page Is For You If..
You care deeply about someone who is drinking or using substances in a way that scares you. You are trying to hold everything together at home, at work, and inside your own body. On the outside you may look calm and capable. On the inside you feel like you are walking on eggshells.
You may be:
A parent lying awake at night, replaying every conversation and wondering what you missed
A partner who swings between caregiving, anger, hope, and burnout
A sibling or close friend who feels caught between loyalty and self-preservation
You have read articles, tried boundaries, begged, bargained, withdrawn, or stepped back just to survive. You are exhausted, worried, and ready for support that is focused on you.
Family support coaching gives you one steady place to tell the truth, understand what is happening in the family system, and build a plan that protects your peace, your values, and your health over time.
Family Support Programs
Here are the two main ways we can work together. Every path still begins with a free Clarity Call so we can decide together what fits best.
Family Support Program (8 Sessions)
Private coaching for parents, partners, and loved ones
The Family Support Program is an eight session, biweekly coaching package designed to support you through several months of change. It helps you understand addiction in the family system, set healthier boundaries, reduce daily conflict, and care for your own nervous system.
Best for
Parents, partners, or close family members of someone struggling with alcohol or other substances
People who feel stuck between rescuing and disconnecting, and want a calmer, more grounded middle path
Families who want education, structure, and a clear plan to navigate chaos, guilt, and mixed messages
Supporters who want a steady, private space to process what is happening and plan next steps
What is included
Eight private 90 minute sessions on Zoom, usually over about four months
Four core workbooks: understanding addiction in the family system, boundaries and enabling, guilt and fear, and codependency and emotional recovery
Session summaries with key insights and simple practices to use between calls
Email or text support between sessions for brief check ins
One optional emergency check in during the package if a crisis or sudden change arises
Outcome
A clearer understanding of what is yours and what is not, more confident boundaries, fewer day to day blow ups, and a calmer internal state, even if your loved one has not changed yet.
Codependency & Relationship Recovery Intensive (4 Sessions)
Focused support to stop losing yourself in someone else’s struggle
The Codependency & Relationship Recovery Intensive is a four session coaching package for people who feel their identity and self-worth have become tied to another person’s choices. This may involve addiction, but it can also include long-standing patterns of over-functioning, people pleasing, and self-abandonment.
Best for
Partners, ex-partners, adult children, or caregivers who feel they have lost themselves in the relationship
People who keep trying to fix, manage, or rescue others at the cost of their own health and peace
Clients who want a shorter, focused container before deciding whether to continue with longer support
What is included
Four private 60 minute sessions on Zoom
A structured, trauma informed framework for understanding codependency and relational patterns
Practical work on boundaries, guilt, resentment, and self-worth
Targeted exercises between sessions to help you practice new responses in real moments
Optional integration into the longer Family Support Program if you want continued support after the four sessions
Outcome
A stronger sense of self, clearer boundaries, less guilt for taking care of yourself, and more honest, steady communication in your closest relationships.
How Family Support Coaching Works
Family systems are complex, and there is no one script that works for every situation. We start with your story, your nervous system, and your capacity, then build from there.
Step 1: Book Your Free Clarity Call
A fifteen minute, confidential call focused on you. You share what has been happening, what you have tried, and what you are worried about most. You can ask questions and we decide whether family support coaching is a good fit.
Step 2: Choose the support that fits
Together we decide whether the 8 session Family Support Program, the 4 session Codependency Intensive, or a different path makes the most sense. In more complex family systems, we may also start with a focused mapping session inside your package to understand roles, patterns, and safety.
Step 3: Begin private sessions
We meet on Zoom at a pace that works for you. Each session combines education, coaching, and space to process what is happening. You leave with clear language, specific steps, and tools to support your own nervous system.
Step 4: Review and adjust as things change
Family situations can shift quickly. As you work together, we adjust your plan so it stays realistic and keeps you grounded, even if your loved one moves forward, relapses, or stays stuck.
In family support and codependency sessions you can expect:
A calm, confidential space focused on you, not a cross-examination of your loved one
Clear education about addiction, nervous system responses, and family roles, explained in human language
Practical scripts and boundary phrases you can use in real conversations
Gentle exploration of guilt, fear, and resentment, without judgment
One or two concrete actions at the end of each session so you know exactly what to try next
What Family Sessions Feel Like
Results Families Often Notice
Every family system is different, but many clients report:
Less daily conflict and fewer emotional spikes at home
A more grounded, confident response when their loved one is using, withdrawing, or asking for help
Language that protects connection without sacrificing safety or self-respect
More clarity about what they are responsible for, and what they are not
A gradual return of steadiness, sleep, and a sense of personal life outside the crisis
Real Stories From Family Members
“I came to Aaron completely depleted. As a nurse and a mother, I was trying to manage everything and everyone. Aaron helped me understand what I could control, what I could not, and how to care for my own nervous system. Our home is calmer and I can finally sleep through the night.”
Karen B., mother of an adult son
“I thought supporting my husband meant accepting anything. Working with Aaron, I learned how to set boundaries that still came from love. I feel more honest and less scared. Our conversations are clearer, and I am no longer losing myself to his choices.”
Lisa R., partner
“I used to swing between rescuing my brother and cutting him off completely. Aaron gave me a middle path. I know how to show up without burning out, and I do not feel as alone in this anymore.”
Michael P., sibling
First names and initials are used with permission. Details are blended to protect privacy.
About Aaron Gleadow
Let’s talk. Just you and me.
You are not just managing a crisis. You are navigating a system.
I know what it is like to try to hold a family together while addiction and stress sit quietly in the middle of the room. For more than 25 years, alcohol was present in my own life and in my family system.
At the same time, I spent over a decade working in hospital neurodiagnostics, sitting with patients and families on some of the hardest days of their lives, while privately using alcohol to cope with my own strain. I have seen firsthand how addiction, chronic stress, and uncertainty affect communication, decision making, and the nervous system of an entire household.
I understand the exhaustion of trying to keep everything functioning while staying constantly alert. I also understand what happens when coping finally stops working.
My recovery was not built on theory.
It was built one honest conversation and one practical step at a time. That lived experience shapes how I work with families today. This is not abstract or academic to me. It is embodied, tested, and earned.
The Two Threads of This Work
When we work together, we combine lived experience with the science of the brain, helping you move out of panic and into clarity.
Lived Experience in Family Systems
I understand how ongoing stress erodes trust, emotional safety, and clear communication. I know what it takes to re establish grounded leadership within a family, even when circumstances remain uncertain or emotionally charged.
Neuroscience and Trauma-Informed Training
My background in neuroscience, project planning, and trauma-informed care gives me a clear understanding of how nervous systems and family systems interact. This allows us to move beyond blame, fear, and guesswork, and toward structure, regulation, and sustainable change.
How I Work With Families
As a Neuroscience and Recovery Coach, I support parents, partners, and siblings who are ready to:
Understand what is happening in the brain and nervous system
Set healthier boundaries that actually hold
Build plans that protect your own health and stability
This work applies whether your loved one is in active addiction, newly sober, or somewhere in between. Together, we create the structure and grounded language you need to stay connected without losing yourself.
Please note: my role is coaching. I provide education, strategy, and nervous system based tools for you. This work is distinct from therapy or medical care for your loved one. When additional support is needed, I collaborate and refer appropriately..
Ready to talk with someone who understands what this is doing to your family and the nervous system behind it?
FAQ (Fast Answers for Families)
Should my loved one attend the session?
Optional. This session is primarily focused on your plan and well-being. We can build a clear and effective strategy whether your loved one attends or not.
Will discussing this make things worse at home?
No. We focus on safety, de-escalation, and nervous-system awareness. You will leave with gentle, practical language and boundary tools designed to lower conflict and protect connection.
What if I need to reschedule?
No problem. You can reschedule your free 15-minute Clarity Call or any coaching session using the link in your confirmation email.
Can more than one family member join?
Yes. One or two people is ideal for the first 15-minute call. If more family members should attend ongoing sessions, we will decide together on the format that feels safest and most effective.
Is this confidential?
Yes. Sessions are private and off the record. Calls are not recorded, and nothing is shared without your permission. This is coaching, not therapy or medical care, and is handled with strict discretion except where safety or legal obligations apply.
Do you work with teens?
Yes, with a parent or legal guardian present. If you would like to include a teen, note it on the intake form and we will plan a calm, age-appropriate approach that protects their sense of safety.
How should I prepare?
Choose a quiet, private space and bring one recent moment that felt especially hard. A helpful prompt is: “What recent moment felt most difficult, and what would progress look like this week for me?”
Is Family Support Coaching Right For You?
Family support coaching is often the right step if you recognize yourself in several of these:
You are constantly monitoring your loved one’s mood, use, or safety and feel like you can never fully relax
You swing between trying to fix everything and wanting to walk away entirely
You feel guilty, ashamed, or responsible for things you did not cause
You want to support your loved one without losing yourself in the process
You are ready to care for your own nervous system and mental health, even if your loved one is not ready for change
You want private, neuroscience informed, trauma aware support that respects your culture, values, and schedule
Ready to talk about your situation?
One private conversation can give you a clearer view of what is happening in your family and what to do next.