Parent Coaching & Family Therapy
Your adult child is struggling. You don't know what to do anymore.
I help parents of struggling adult children, whether it's addiction, unemployment, or simply refusing to grow up, know when to help and when to step back.
29 years of experience · Licensed in 40 states · In-person and online
You'll probably recognize a few of these
Your adult child won't work, go to school, or take responsibility for their future.
They're living at home and you don't know when it's time to ask them to leave.
You're paying their bills, covering for them, or repeatedly rescuing them.
You're worried that helping them is actually enabling them.
Your child is struggling with addiction or substance use.
They're dealing with depression, anxiety, or another mental health challenge.
Every conversation about responsibility turns into an argument.
You've tried setting boundaries, but eventually you give in.
Your child refuses therapy or insists they don't have a problem.
You're constantly wondering, "Am I helping them, or making things worse?"
"What am I actually supposed to do?"
You don't need another parenting article telling you to "set boundaries." You need someone who can help you figure out which boundaries make sense for your family, how to communicate them, and what to do when your child pushes back.
Helping your adult child doesn't have to mean losing yourself
You can love them without solving every problem. Set boundaries without abandoning them. Protect your own life without becoming a bad parent.
"Should I help?"
Learn what kind of help actually helps.
"How do I make them change?"
actually helps. Instead of "How do I make them change?" Focus on what you can control and what is your responsibility.
"If I set this boundary, they'll hate me."
Learn how to set a firm boundary while still communicating love and respect.
The clarity you've been looking for
"I want to stop enabling my child without abandoning them."
Learn how to recognize the difference between supporting your adult child and protecting them from the consequences of their choices.
"I want to know what to do when they refuse help."
You can begin working on your own responses even when your adult child isn't ready or willing to participate.
"I want boundaries that I can actually maintain."
Develop realistic boundaries and learn how to communicate and maintain them.
"I want to have a conversation without another blow-up."
Learn how to approach difficult conversations with greater clarity and less escalation.
"I want my life back."
Your child's struggles don't have to consume every conversation, every decision, and every night of sleep.
A Unique Approach to therapy
I work with you. Not as an afterthought while your child gets the "real" help, but as an active part of the plan from day one.
My colleague works with your adult child, separately, in their own space, with their own confidentiality. No pressure to report back to you.
Then we meet. Compare notes. Build one plan for your family, together. Not one therapist stuck trying to referee two people.
Both sides heard
Both sides represented
One path forward
A clear path forward, from your first call.
The First Call
Fifteen minutes, free, no obligation. The first time you say out loud what has actually been happening instead of searching alone at midnight.
Your Sessions Begin
No more guessing whether you are doing too much or not enough. You finally get a clear professional plan instead of another parenting article.
Your Child's Own Space
My colleague begins working separately with your adult child in a confidential setting, giving them support without pressure or blame.
Comparing Notes
We coordinate care so boundaries, communication, and next steps become one shared strategy instead of two separate guesses.
Coming Together
Your first family session focuses on real conversation, safer communication, and practical progress rather than another blow-up at home.
A Stronger Family
Your child moves toward independence, your home becomes calmer, and your family gains evidence that change is genuinely possible.
Tools You Can Use That Night
Not just a space to vent. You leave every session with specific scripts and boundaries to try at home, so change shows up in your next conversation, not just in the room.
Guidance When Needed
When the argument happens tonight, you are not left searching for answers alone. You have a professional to reach out to when it matters most.
What if your adult child won't come?
You can still start with you.
You can't make them participate. They may refuse, blame you, or shut down.
That doesn't mean you're powerless.
Dr. Cindy can help you understand what's yours to control and how to respond differently, even if your child never sets foot in a session. You don't have to wait for them to change before you get help.
This isn't about blaming you, or your child
It's easy to think:
Blame rarely helps you figure out what to do next. The real work is understanding the patterns you're in now, and learning to respond to them differently.
What we will work toward
More clarity
You stop second-guessing every decision.
Fewer battles
Boundaries you set actually hold.
Less guilt
You care deeply without carrying everything.
A calmer home
Fewer blow-ups, fewer repeats of the same fight.
Your life back
Your marriage, your sleep, your sense of self, not just your child's crisis.
A healthier relationship
More honesty, less walking on eggshells.
Practical guidance for the moments that matter
Because the hard part doesn't always happen during therapy.
The argument might happen tonight. Your child might ask for money tomorrow. They might call you in crisis. You'll leave sessions with more than a place to talk, you'll leave with the actual words to use when it happens again.
"I don't know what to do."
"I know how I'm going to respond."
Ways to begin
Individual parent therapy
For you. Your worry, your boundaries, your sense of self, worked through on your own. Includes brief coaching for when a crisis hits.
Family therapy
The whole family in the room together, working through communication, boundaries, and the next steps as one unit.
The unique approach
You and your child each get your own therapist. Then Dr. Cindy and her colleague coordinate, so your family moves as one, not two people guessing separately.
Nearly 30 years helping families navigate difficult problems.
My path to this work started in the Peace Corps, living outside my own culture and becoming fascinated by how differently people carry the same pain.
That curiosity drove me through a doctorate in clinical psychology, two of the country's most respected training programs, and nearly three decades of practice.
I have trained therapists across the country, founded the first team of its kind in Nashville, and is still completing new training today.
PhD
Clinical Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago
29 Yrs
In practice
40
Licensed in 40 states
DBT
Trainer, training therapists nationwide
Founder
Founded Nashville's first DBT team
Advanced
Training including complex PTSD and other complex clinical presentations
What clients say
"I have met many therapists in my life, and Dr. Mancini stands out among all of them. She is a therapist for whom treating others is not only a profession, but a true calling, someone who embodies compassion, attunement, and genuine humanity in every interaction."
"Cindy is a phenomenal therapist who is very dedicated to her clients. She works relentlessly to help clients meet their goals while also being very relational at the same time. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to resolve their personal issues!"
"Cindy is more than the best therapist I could ask for myself. She cares about her patients, but REALLY cares. She is direct and honest with boundaries that are so needed. This is the first time in my life I can see things are moving for me."
"Such an amazingly sweet person. Helped me with my daughter when no one else would. A truly genuine, caring individual."
FAQ
Common questions before you start.
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No. You can begin working with Dr. Cindy on your own.
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You can still get help. Parent coaching can help you understand what you can control and how to respond.
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It can involve both, working through your own emotions while developing practical strategies for boundaries and communication.
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Not necessarily. With the coordinated approach, you work with Dr. Cindy while your adult child can work separately with her colleague. But you can both work with Dr. Cindy.
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Yes. In-person sessions are available in Franklin, Tennessee, with online sessions available in states where Dr. Cindy is licensed.
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You'll have 15 minutes to explain what's happening and ask questions. There is no obligation to continue.