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PARENT SUPPORT GROUP
For Parents of a Child Actively Using or in Recovery
Loving a child who is struggling with a substance use disorder can be lonely, isolating and painful. LITT is here for you.
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Our support groups for parents provide a safe place to connect with other members and share stories, provide honest feedback and help one another through this journey without shame.
What to Expect From Our Support Group
After speaking with a leader from our team, members meet weekly on Zoom. The intention behind these meetings is to support one another as we navigate this journey through stories, advice and honest feedback.
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There is no fee to join any of our groups. LITT highly respects the privacy and confidentiality of our group members. Your information will never be shared outside of the organization.
Meet Our Support Group Leaders
Stefanie Weir ​
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Stefanie and her family found themselves in uncharted territory in 2017 when their son started on a journey of misusing substances that led to near-fatal outcomes and ultimately a Substance Use Disorder. Given the profound impact on the family of loving someone struggling with this brain disease, Stefanie knew they needed a lot of support. She made her recovery a priority by seeking resources, education, support systems, and the courage to step out of the shadows of stigma and shame. These efforts initiated a reconnection to her peace and provided powerful recovery tools that supported stability, calm, and continued connection for her family while simultaneously giving her son his best chance for his recovery.
Stefanie is the Support Group Director, a Family Recovery Coach, and a certified BALM® Facilitator Specialist. She is following her calling to lovingly and powerfully share all she has learned with other families who are navigating their own uncharted journey with a struggling child. She believes reclaiming one's peace is possible, support and education are crucial, and that healthy love from family reduces the isolation that allows this family illness to flourish.
Shawn Nocher
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Shawn is the co-founder of LITT and the mother of a son in recovery. She and her husband have two adult children and two adorable grandchildren.
Shawn is a graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland and the MA in Writing program at Johns Hopkins. In addition to her commitment to LITT, she teaches part-time at Hopkins and is also the author of two novels and numerous short stories, many of which examine our relationship to those afflicted with a substance use disorder.
Mary DeMarco and Buddy Wolfe
Husband and wife, Mary and Buddy have been navigating substance use disorder with their son since 2016 when he called from college to let them know he was struggling with opioid use. Families are complicated and their son’s substance use disorder took its toll on a family where siblings were already struggling with various forms of addictive behavior as a result of trauma and depression.
Mary and Buddy have been active participants in LITT since its inception and have navigated these last years by learning as much as they can about substance use disorder and recovery. This has been a long and complicated journey to healing for the entire family. With their family currently in recovery, Mary and Buddy are ready to share what they have learned and help other parents in their difficult journey.
Dave Fairall
Dave lives in Baltimore Md., and has been an active participant in LITT since early 2023. In addition to being a lifelong musician, Dave recently retired from a nearly 40 year career in Financial Services to care for his wife Beth, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Their son Bennett has struggled with substance use disorder since high school, and after an initial move to attend music school in NYC was derailed by addiction, Bennett returned to a recovery program, then subsequently back to school in NYC, and to a Sober Living facility. A few years later Bennett confided he had relapsed and was dealing with a more severe addiction to Fentanyl, returning to the recovery program.
The support, fellowship, and community offered through LITT has been invaluable, as the entire family navigates both the difficult journey of recovery from substance abuse, and managing ongoing Parkinson’s progression. By sharing his experience and coping mechanisms, Dave is hoping to help others dealing with similar challenges.
Andrea Shaw
Private Support Coach, Certified Integrative Trauma Coach
Andrea Shaw is a highly compassionate recovery and mental health advocate with both professional and personal experience working with people suffering from SUD. Through her work, she has developed a solid understanding of the impact addiction has on the entire family system. Since 2017, Andrea has been supporting others on their path to health and healing through her private Recovery & Life Coaching practice. After years of training, mentoring and coaching experience, she has become knowledgeable in the areas of nervous system regulation, mindfulness practices, healthy boundaries and communication, and navigating major life transitions.
Andrea’s long-term, repeated exposure to individuals and families in crisis has given her the ability to hold a warm, safe and non-judgmental space for healing. She brings a trauma-informed approach to her sessions and understands that each individual family has a unique story to tell. Her goal is to provide unwavering support and compassion to allow the families of LITT to share and process their frustrations, fears and hopes. In a private and personal setting, families will feel seen, heard and encouraged to take the necessary steps to care for themselves and their loved ones.
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Our offering of this support extends to those who may not be ready for the group situation but would really benefit from one-on-one session(s).
Join Our Support Group
LITT respects the privacy and confidentiality of its support group members. For this reason, we prefer to touch base with those considering attending prior to joining one of our groups.
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Please fill out the form below with you contact information and your preferred method and time of day to reach you.