100+ days of missed school. Meltdowns before the front door. Being told it was “defiance,” “manipulation,” “too soft as a parent.” None of it was that. It was a nervous system stuck in survival mode - and no amount of pushing, bribing, or CBT worksheets was going to talk a dysregulated body into calm. I lived in the trenches longer than I want to admit. So many of our days were spent going from psych appointment to psych appointment, and from school meetings to more school meetings. Round and round we went - despite my own years at university studying in the mental health space, I couldn’t see it either. Not until I stepped back from all of it. Once I realised the whole “push through” thing was never going to work - everything changed. One small, body-first step at a time. She’s now at her first-choice university. If you’re in the trenches right now - it’s not defiance. It’s survival mode. And there’s a way back. Comment TOOLKIT and I’ll send it to you. With understanding, ...