Therapy for Failure to Launch in San Marino

When Your Child Doesn’t Launch into Adulthood

For some young adults, the transition to adulthood doesn’t take off the way it should. Instead of moving forward into school, work, or independent living, they remain highly dependent at home — relying on parents for financial support, daily structure, and emotional stability.

Your child may even be in therapy themselves, and while this can provide a helpful space to express feelings, they may still seem unable to take the necessary steps toward independent and meaningful adult living. Over time, this dynamic can leave the whole family feeling frustrated, guilty, and stuck in cycles of conflict and accommodation.

You’ve likely tried to help your child in many ways — pushing, rescuing, negotiating — but too often this leads to arguments, guilt, or worsening symptoms. What’s needed is a different kind of support.

How Therapy for Failure to Launch Can Help

When a young adult is stuck in a financially and emotionally dependent state, parents often feel just as stuck — unsure how to help without making things worse. That’s where a structured, parent-focused model can make the difference.

SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is best known as a treatment for childhood anxiety and OCD, but its structure has been adapted to address “Failure to Launch.” This variation of SPACE gives parents tools to help their highly dependent young adults take steps toward independence.

This model was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center, and it provides a clear, structured way for parents to reduce patterns of enabling and create conditions where their young adult can grow. Since this is a parent-directed treatment, this is an effective treatment option, even when your child will not or cannot participate in therapy themselves.

My Approach

I have received training in both SPACE, and SPACE for Failure to Launch. Over approximately 12-16 weeks, our work will include:

• Coaching you, the parent, to set boundaries with clarity and compassion

• Reducing enabling patterns that keep your young adult dependent

• Supporting realistic, incremental steps toward independence and resilience

Ready for the Next Step?

If you’re interested in working with me — or simply want to learn more about how therapy could help — I invite you to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.