“Healing from the Impact of Toxic or Emotionally Immature Parents” [Video Replay & Podcast #557]
Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#557), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on May 7, 2025.
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Episode Description
Growing up with parents who don’t or won’t understand ADHD intensifies so many challenges for children, including those who go without a diagnosis until adolescence or adulthood. Some parents simply don’t recognize ADHD or see it as a “real” condition. As a result, they fail to understand the emotional and academic challenges brought on by it and instead use criticism as an ineffective motivator. When those kids grow into adults with children of their own, they often encounter a gaping hole of unmet needs that they have filled with negative messaging and low self-esteem.
Children of emotionally immature parents — those who were often prioritizing their own needs before their kids’, gaslighting and dismissing them, and generally showing a lack of empathy and validation — experienced similar emotions and long-term effects. Many of these kids grew up feeling manipulated, misunderstood, and lonely. As adults, they may still feel dismissed and minimized by their parents, making it difficult to heal.
Growing up in an unhealthy household can set the stage for lifelong struggles, including problems with mental health, self-esteem, and relationships. As adults, some neurodivergent people wrestle with resentment and pain from childhood, making it difficult to navigate relationships with their parents today.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- About the kinds of messages children internalize in emotionally unsupportive environments and the long-term impact of internalized shame, negative self-concept, perfectionism, chronic anxiety and depression, and relationship problems
- The differences between caregivers who didn’t know better and the signs of emotionally immature and narcissistic parenting
- About the challenges and choices involved in navigating adult relationships with emotionally immature parents, including setting boundaries or ending a relationship when repair is not possible
- How to develop self-care practices to begin healing from the pain of emotionally unsupportive parenting
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.
Healing from Your Past: Resources
- Read: Are You a Toxic Parent?
- Read: Why Won’t My Parents Accept My ADHD Diagnosis?
- Read: How to Break the Cycle of Authoritarian Parenting
- Read: How to Set Boundaries with Family
- Blog: When Your Child Is a Trigger — Reliving My Own Childhood with Undiagnosed ADHD
- Q&A: “I’m Sure My Mom Has ADHD, But She Refuses to Be Evaluated.”
- From Readers: “What I Wish My Parents Had Known . . . ”
Obtain a Certificate of Attendance
If you attended the live webinar on May 7, 2025, 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
Meet the Expert Speaker
Amy Marlow-MaCoy, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor and the author of The Gaslighting Recovery Workbook and The Clinician’s Guide to Treating Adult Children of Narcissists. (#CommissionsEarned) Amy specializes in treating adult children of narcissistic and emotionally immature parenting. She is known for her expertise on gaslighting and narcissistic abuse and provides training and continuing education credits on these topics for clinicians. As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, Amy is also intimately familiar with the challenges of growing up in a world that wasn’t made for neurodivergent brains.
In addition to her private practice, Amy is the founder of The Courageous Heart Institute, a learning community for clinicians specializing in treating survivors of narcissistic abuse. Amy supports adult survivors of narcissistic abuse and complex developmental and relational trauma with advanced training in multiple trauma treatment models, including IFS, EMDR, and Brainspotting.
#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share.
Webinar Sponsor
Growing up with emotionally immature or toxic parents can leave lasting wounds, especially when you have ADHD. Inflow understands the challenges of breaking these cycles and reclaiming your sense of self. Their science-backed program helps you unlearn harmful patterns, set boundaries, and heal in a way that works with your ADHD brain. Take the free ADHD traits quiz to start your journey.
ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.
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Video Replay + Slides + 15% Off ADDitude
Enter your email address below to access the replay, get a discount on your ADDitude order, and receive strategies from ADDitude via email.
You may opt out at any time. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .