ADHD Parenting

“Creating Boundaries and Strategies for Highly Dependent Adult Children” [Video Replay & Podcast #601]

Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#601), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on March 24, 2026.

ADHD Expert: Natalia Aíza, LPC Updated on March 24, 2026
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Episode Description

Highly dependent adult children get stuck in a cycle of emotional and financial reliance on their parents. Many of these adult children are unemployed, not pursuing higher education, and living with their parents despite no physical, neurological, or intellectual disabilities. When their parents attempt to enforce boundaries or require more from their adult children, the explosive, guilt-inducing, or panicked reactions may cause parents to retreat.

Many highly dependent adult children (a less stigmatizing term than failure to launch) meet the criteria for ADHD, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or agoraphobia, but often resist treatment. In this webinar, we will explore the following core symptoms shared by many highly dependent adult children:

  • Low distress tolerance
  • Poor insight
  • Difficulty taking accountability
  • Perfectionism that expresses as inaction
  • Low self-esteem
  • Reality avoidance
  • Resentment
  • Comfort-seeking
  • Risk avoidance

 In this webinar, you will learn:

  • About the reasons why adult children who should be living independently are not working or pursuing higher education, despite no physical, neurological, or intellectual disabilities
  • How to identify the symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and/or agoraphobia, which many of these adult children experience, but often resist treating
  • How parents’ patience, generosity, and attention may actually be contributing to their child’s inability to launch into full adulthood
  • About sample family plans for breaking maladaptive anxiety patterns, such as seeking reassurance with parents, relying excessively on parents for financial support, and coping with the fear of transitioning into adulthood
  • About actionable strategies and innovative solutions for the dependency trap, where parent and adult child behaviors are mutually reinforcing and maladaptive

This webinar is designed for parents and therapists who are seeking to enhance their understanding of highly dependent adult children. Registrants will leave with concrete and innovative solutions for the dependency trap.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on March 24, 2026, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Dependent Adult Children : Resources

Meet the Expert Speaker

Natalia Aíza, LPC, is a therapist, parent trainer, writer, and entrepreneur dedicated to facilitating awareness and healing for individuals with OCD and amplifying OCD competency among mental health practitioners. She is the Founder of Kairos Wellness Collective, an innovative therapy center specializing in OCD and Anxiety Disorders. She is the author of Self-Guided Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy for OCD (Zeitgeist Publishers, a division of Penguin) (#CommissionsEarned)
and has a second book, Parenting Highly Dependent Adult Children, scheduled for Fall 2026 release with New Harbinger Publishers. Natalia holds a BA in Literature from Harvard University and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Palo Alto University.
#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

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