I was having a lot of trouble with my son. He was bottling up his emotions and he was being very difficult about opening up. Not only was he distant with me, he was distant from his brother as well, and generally had generally a bad attitude about life. Sean from Parenting Modern Teens worked with him one on one for 8 sessions. During that time my son came a long way. He is now opening up to me much more often and is even getting along with his brother better. His attitude is greatly improved. If you are having trouble with your teen, I would recommend giving Sean and his team a chance. read more

TL;DR: Dismissive, condescending, and self-glorifying. I recently booked a consultation for my teenage stepson. Sean was 12 minutes late to our appointment. When he finally did call, he offered no apology - or even acknowledgment - for his tardiness. During our 11-min call, Sean displayed no curiosity about my stepson or our family. He never asked about my husband (the father), the biological mother, nor much about my son himself. Instead, he fixated on "screen addiction," using it both as a reason my son couldn't be helped (odd, since it's a service he advertises) and as an excuse to promote his book on the subject. While our conversation was brief, Sean still managed to plug his book, his podcast, and his social media. Overall, Sean seems to be more interested in building his "brand" than in actually helping teenagers. Tellingly, Sean was dismissive of traditional therapy - presumably because he has no relevant credentials. He also seemed incensed that I was evaluating therapists / coaches for my son to ensure the right fit. All this taken together with a previous one-star review (and his respective rebuttal), I feel more even more certain about the importance of this step. I expect a similar dismissive rebuttal: that "it wasn't the right match" or "the parents weren't invested." Reframing any negative feedback into a parenting failure, and deflecting from the lack of professionalism and expertise that this line of work demands. read more

Parenting teens is no joke, and my husband and I found ourselves really lost with how to be the best, most connected versions of ourselves with our sons. We would flip flop from punishing to enabling, and our entire household felt out of equilibrium. Parenting Modern Teens was exactly the program we needed, and was well worth the investment. We leveraged both the individual coaching for one of our sons, and family coaching for all five of us. My husband and I would attend the weekly VIP sessions (even became lifetime members) and we found the tools and program highly effective when we stayed consistent. I'm not going to lie, though....this is HARD work that requires a willingness to really dig deep and make a lot of changes that can initially feel disruptive to the whole family. I'm so glad we committed to the program. We are all better for it. read more

Taking the Parenting Modern Teens Course was one of the best decisions I've made as a dad and wish I had the option many years ago. For me this class wasn't about fixing my kids, it was about making me a better parent. I've seen real, immediate improvements in my parenting. The course helped me refine my approach, be more intentional, and handle challenges with confidence rather than just reacting in the moment. If you're a parent especially of teens this course should be required learning! The instructor is relatable, engaging, and brings real-life experience into every lesson. I walked away feeling empowered, not judged. Highly recommend! read more

Sean P is a great listener and a skilled coach. He carefully and thoughtfully helped coach our teenager and myself and my husband. He helped us understand our cycle, what each of us truly needed and how we reacted, and then how to get back to connection with each other. It goes beyond consequences and into making amends and taking personal responsibility. We have seen our teen mature and choose connection over anger. And we as a couple are more connected and on the same page. We found this so much more effective than family therapy. It's concrete and intuitive, yet still gets to the underlying issues and helped bring our family closer. Thank you! read more

We had an incredible experience with Parenting Modern Teens, particularly working with Sean Donahue and Sean Potts. They specialize in helping families with teenagers, and their approach was transformative. Not only did they assist in improving communication with our son, but they also provided us with actionable strategies that kept both our son and us accountable. the focus on 'Heart Talks' helped us communicate and reach our son with a more impactful way. Their guidance has made a lasting impact, strengthening communication within our family now and for the future. Highly recommend! read more

Working with Sean Potts and listening to the Parenting Modern Teens podcast has provided our family with invaluable tools. Sean helped us identify triggers and actions so we can better communicate with each other. He also provided a sounding board for our son on his personal goals, plans to meet them, and obstacles. I like how he let us guide the conversation at times, but also ensured weekly progress. Our weeks with Sean has helped me be a better parent. read more

When I reached out to Sean D and his team, I was desperate for someone to help us during what felt like a scary unknown time. Our teenage son was struggling with some really dark feelings as he tried to manage his social and academic life and I was paralyzed as I tried to figure out how to help. Sean D immediately jumped in our situation with sincere concern and a steady calming voice for me. We were set up with Sean P for coaching sessions and these quickly became the highlight of our family's week. We all have benefitted from finding more effective ways to communicate so that we feel connected as a family. Sean P. helped my son find his joy again, and most importantly, the tools that will continually help him throughout his life. read more

I was looking for some help for my teen and contacted Parenting Modern Teens. I promptly received a response that they would be able to help. I scheduled one session where Sean met with my son and then met with my husband and I. All started off on the right foot. It was strongly suggested that I sign up for their buy 8 classes for the price of 7 package. Of course I did and we started the process of meeting once a week. The first session, as Sean suggested, was for our family to meet. It went fine however on subsequent meetings with my son, it was clear that he was not won over, and at that point, as anyone with a teen knows, it's difficult to win back their trust and support. Here's my suggestion. If you go with this clinic, I wish you all the best. For me, it didn't work out. I expected a lot more insight into working with teens and the approach was clearly lacking. I think it's very important to pay a la carte as we are now stuck with sessions that we don't want to use, and the clinic offers no refunds whatsoever. All in all, a waste of money, time and energy. And we are not any closer to getting the help we need. read more

Our family is extremely grateful to have found your team; Sean Potts, Sean Donohue and Sarah. We had lost control of how we thought our family should function. Your team helped us communicate better as a family. You were able to provide great tools for us to be able to create a family plan and Sean Potts was an excellent mediator and advisor to our family so that we were able to implement the family plan with everyone's buy in. Sean was patient and very knowledgeable. We felt very comfortable speaking about our challenges and conflicts with Sean. Sean's demeanor and professionalism made us feel so comfortable with him. He also kept track of our account's accounting, which was a huge plus and very helpful, since we were so distracted with our family issues. I can't say enough about how happy we were working with Sean. Today our kids are doing so much better. We have been on vacations and outings and we have never communicated better than we do today. Listening to Sean Donohue's videos was very helpful and Sean D. live was even better. Communicating emotions was very foreign to us. As parents, our children looked to us to teach them how to communicate how we feel, and since we never learned those skills in our lives, the communication broke down. We became mean to each other and it was heart breaking since we love each other so much. I never thought it was a skill that could be learned, but Sean D. and Sean P made it easy for us to learn and we continue to learn each day. Our family is truly grateful to have found Parenting Modern Teens with Sean Donohue! read more

The pandemic has been really hard on kids and especially teens in high school. We noticed that our son wasn't motivated to do much other than to play video games, sit in his room and stare at his phone for hours on end especially in 2020 and most of 2021. During this time it was hard to communicate with him and it just didn't seem like we were connecting. We reached out to Parenting Modern Teens after reading the reviews and were hoping that Sean and his team could help us make a change. I'm so glad we did! During our initial call, Sean D shared with my wife and I an overview of his program and asked us what our goals were for our son. The upfront leg work was definitely worth it as it set the stage for success later down the road. Sean Potts was assigned to our son. Sean P is great. Immediately, he built rapport with my son and created a nice relationship building trust which is the key to success in the program. He did a great job hearing my son out and understanding his fears and goals and gave him the tools to overcome challenges and achieve his goals. As each week went by, I began to see progress and it was encouraging to see. My wife and I looked forward to their meetings and seeing the slow positive transformation. The great thing about this program is that they provide kids with lifelong skills they will need to overcome challenges not just now but for the rest of their lives long after their parents are alive. I feel good knowing that he has those skills to apply in his life to be happy and successful. It was the best investment I could have made for my son and he is doing much better as a result of it. He is more accountable and getting him to take action is not such a struggle any longer. We liked the program so much that we even participated in the family sessions. I felt in order to support my son better, my wife and I needed to participate in this so that we can all be on the same page in following Sean's teaching. I'm so happy we did. As a result of this, my wife and I are better able to communicate with our son and he is able to do the same with us as he understands us better. The family sessions were well worth it as well. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to assist their child and looking to make a positive impact in their lives. Thanks Sean D and Sean P for everything! read more

I started coaching with Sean Potts a little less than a year ago. Before this, I was at a very low point in my life, on the verge of quitting school and abandoning a lot of my goals that I had originally set after high school. I was living at home and my relationship with my family felt like it was not heading in the right direction. I felt, in a way, that the world was slowly turning against me and I had no other direction to go in but downwards. I was fairly skeptical at first to attempt life coaching -- I felt it would be like therapy which is not what I wanted for myself. I didn't personally feel that I was in a condition to where I needed therapy, but rather advice and guidance as to what I need to do to feel satisfied with the circumstances that I am in. I wanted to believe that I can make a life for myself without relying completely on everyone around me. My initial take on coaching was completely wrong. After I met a couple times with Sean, I realized that this is nothing like therapy, but rather a window that helped me see what I am capable of doing for myself. The communication tools that have been provided to me have been some of my favorite parts about coaching. Communication being a part of my life where I was struggling the most, it helped me turn around a lot of my relationships and bring me closer to the people that I care about most. There are many other great aspects of coaching and I saw how the power of mending one part of my life can lead to a compounding effect on the rest. I couldn't be more thankful to this whole program for bringing me to a better place for myself and my family! read more

Having Sean work with our teenage daughter was the best decision we could have made for her. Despite living in a home with siblings and parents that loved and respected her, our daughter's self esteem, self control and will to live was at a scary low. We had met Sean at one of his Screens and Teens workshops and were very impressed with his awareness of the many struggles of today's teens and his strategies for helping them. The first few weeks with our daughter were rough. She was very closed off and put up a facade with Sean. His patience and creative conversation skills broke through to her and started the healing process with her. Sean gave our daughter great tools and skills to better love herself, believe in herself, set boundaries for herself, and respect herself. He also gave my husband and me great tools for holding her accountable for her actions and attitude. "The Card System" was a game changer for us. It helped to remove the emotion from us when she needed a course correction. We are so thankful for discovering Sean Donohue! read more

We used this training with our staff in Oakland to learn better how to help families to whom we are ministering. Not only was it helpful for our staff and their own growth but we know this is going to have a huge impact in the next few years as we help families with teens and children. Sean Potts is an incredible facilitator and Sean Donahue has so much wisdom. Thank you Seans! read more

Parenting Modern Teens - Bay Area Urban Network staff in Oakland, CA - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me

Sean Potts is a phenomenal coach! He is very welcoming, hospitable, understanding, and really does care about the people he works with. I would recommend any family to reach out to work with him to build healthier relationships in families. He is super relevant and very kind. Well deserved 5/5 stars! Thank you Sean for everything!! read more

I'd like to share my experience using Sean Donahue and Sean Potts. My family has never used a life coach before so this was new to us. We needed help with our out of control 15 yr old son. The luxury of having both Sean's come to your home in your child's own environment is an amazing tool. Speaking of tools as parents we realized that we weren't using any to parent our son. That's where I found the instructions super helpful. Once you actually started implementing the tools into your daily lives you begin to see the changes in your child. I also loved not only the family sessions but the one on one sessions that Sean Potts spent with my son geared towards an activity that my son could relate to. The two formed a lovely bond together. It has now been 3 months since we've been on our own and I can say that our arguments overall have decreased 70% since the start of our process! If you are lost and need help for your teen consider yourself lost no more. Colleen P. read more

Quite possibly the most skilled and compassionate coaching team on the planet! Sean P's ability to meet you where you are and help you reach your goals is invaluable. read more

Sean came and spoke to our Mom to Mom group, where older moms mentor younger moms. He talked about screens and kids. It was fascinating, engaging and thought provoking. I was fascinated by how screens for young children affects their brain development. After the talk there was a time for questions. Sean is personable, has the right amount of authority and humor and was the favorite speaker for our group. read more

I referred a family with 2 teen boys and they feel that they got their family back! Great job! read more

Is there more than a five-star option? If there was, I would give him more. Writing a review will be hard for me. How does one write about a life-changing experience in one small post? I am 19 years old and attend Cal Poly. To family, friends, and peers, I seem like I have my life figured out. Inside, I was a stranger. I was in so much emotional pain I could have sworn it was physical. I met Sean years ago through a close family friend of mine. He changed their family dynamic so I assumed he could help mine. I was skeptical and ultimately thought that nothing would change but I had no other options. I reached out I worked with him for about two months, on the phone for an hour a week. He is AMAZING. My life is changed not by him, but by the tools and guidance he provided me to apply to my own life. He just gets it. He is absolutely an incredible man, counselor, and friend. Speaking for young individuals who feel like their world is thrown upside down and there is no way out. Talk to him. He will show you the light at the end of the tunnel and will guide you out. Thank you Sean! I am so glad God placed you in my life! read more

Sean is the only coach you'll ever need in your teenager's life! We found Sean right when we were in the middle of our own little family crisis, thinking our son would fall victim to our modern day society of teens - addiction to video games/phones, vaping, etc. My husband and I first met with Sean and we're both comfortable with his approach, relaxed demeanor and authenticity. As he shared stories of himself and how he got to be where he is today, we both knew that Sean was the kind of role model our son needed. Sean is a down-to-earth, guy's guy that related to my husband's frustrations, but also was very in tune with our son when the two of them met. He has become a trusted advisor to us and provided us with tools to move forward in a way that everyone can agree to. We are so grateful to have found Sean! read more

I would just like to thank Paul for the amazing work he did with our family and son. We had gone through some difficult times and enlisting Paul's help was the best thing we could have done. He helped set us up for success where we had failed in the past, he taught us to be better parents and gave us the tools to succeed.He worked closely with our son guiding him, counseling him, teaching him how he can get what he needs from our family at the same time giving us what we need like respect and trust. My only regret is that we could not continue longer with Paul due to other obligations that came up. Thanks again Paul for everything you did for us and my family. read more

Sean and his team, including Sean Potts, were/are a great resource for our family. They have helped us navigate our emotions, our hot buttons & triggers, and helped us understand how to respond in ways that are constructive to family unity. They do it all with candor and grace, and in a way that resonates with our kids. It's helped teach them all the skills many of our parents never taught us. It's invaluable. read more

We hired Sean to help us become more emotionally stable when dealing with our two young boys. We felt a lack of control in how we handled their more challenging behaviors and Sean helped us not only identify the root causes to our reactions but why we reacted the way we did and gave us the tools to discover on our own how we would like to respond. Sean was a pleasure to work with, he was kind and a good listener. He was delicate with his approach and asked a lot of questions to get to know us so that his responses were appropriate and fitting. He was also reliable and punctual and delivered consistently which is refreshing. If you're child is needing support or you are needing support to deal with your child/children I highly recommend using Sean's in home services. read more

WOW! What a phenomenal trauma training! Both Sean Potts and Sean Donohue gave such wisdom and great critique on how to navigate through our emotions and break the fear cycle. As a group of pastors working in Oakland, it is very difficult to understand where many of our youth's reactions evolve in such a matter. BUT WOW! (Yes, I said it twice) We have secret recipes to whip up such an amazing meal. We're excited to give Oakland this treat! Thank you Sean & Sean. Both gentlemen have helped empowered us. Sean P. is such an intentional person. Very compassionate and helpful in how he does what he does! Sean D. Is very knowledgeable in how to navigate us through the training. So excited to go through this beautiful training! read more

Paul brings a wealth of knowledge, tools, and experience working with teens. I've seen Paul work with youth groups and found him to be genuine, caring, and personable. He understands the challenges today's youth are facing and really has a passion for helping teens overcome obstacles to discover their true potential. read more

Today I am filled with joy and gratitude. How my life has transformed since first working with Sean nearly 3 years ago! I have known Sean for many years, both personally and professionally. Sean was just starting his family coaching business when I felt I had exhausted every other avenue of "help" with my out of control teenager. We felt like prisoners in our own home and were desperate for help. Today, nearly 3 years after first bringing Sean into our family, and after experience with therapeutic boarding school, rehab, outpatient and inpatient programs, as well as 3 different 12 step programs, it is Sean's words of wisdom and the foundation he helped us lay that continue to resonate and strengthen me today. The tools I have learned in various programs over the last 3 years have built upon the simple guidelines Sean initially taught us. Sean worked with our family for four short weeks, and in that time he laid a foundation for my recovery that continues to support me today. There was so much I learned from his wise counsel: making boundaries, not building walls; learning how to disengage my emotion and communicate dispassionately; allowing others the dignity to be responsible for themselves, while recognizing my own self-worth and the importance of self-care. Sean stood with me through some of the darkest days of my life. His practice is unique, which affords him the flexibility to be available in ways a traditional therapist can't. I truly felt that Sean cared about me and our family, we weren't just his clients. He was available at times and in ways I will always be grateful for. Over the last 3 years I have begun to grow into the wife, mother, friend and child of God I am meant to be but lacked the tools to before. Our path has not been a simple one, in fact it's been very painful. But today our family is learning to be happy and our lives are good, despite continuing difficult circumstances surrounding us. I had completely lost myself and my sense of being. I desperately wanted Sean to fix my daughter, never imagining it was I who would get in the most benefit, and by extension all of those around me. Working with Sean was one of the best gifts we've ever given to our family. read more

Sean came into our lives at a time when we desperately needed some outside counsel. He worked with our teenagers individually, and with all of us as a family. We saw an incredible difference in our teen's attitudes and behavior within a short amount of time. We will always be so grateful to Sean for everything he did for our family. He genuinely cares about the work he's doing, and does everything he can to be as supportive as possible through some very difficult times. He was truly an answer to our prayers. read more

Sean gave a presentation to our church youth group and his down to earth demeanor and genuine concern for kids today caught my attention. I followed him on Facebook, unaware that he and his group of coaches would soon help our family. A year later I reached out to him regarding some concerns about our 16 year old son. He provided some immediate step by step guidance to deal with our issues, followed up by an in person meeting. He was able to set up teen coaching sessions with Paul, as well as family coaching sessions with both of them. As we went through the family coaching sessions, I realized that I was in great need of guidance as a parent! They both helped me more than I expected, as well as my son and our overall communication. Sean and Paul provided amazing support and encouragement during a difficult time in our family. I continue to follow Sean on social media...I highly recommend you do, too. His posts are full of practical, encouraging wisdom and always seem to be exactly what I need to read/hear! read more

I've known Paul in a professional capacity since 2006 and have been impressed by his passion, skill, and ability to connect with young people, from jr high through college. Paul has a way about him that builds trust quickly and fosters openness. My son was one of those young people. Paul encouraged him to think about his choices and how they would affect his life. read more

Until we met Sean, our house was a pretty stressful place. Lots of frustrated conversations, yelling, back talk and disrespect. Three months later, our family was transformed thanks to Sean. We saw Sean speak at a parenting conference and two months later in desperation, I sent him an email. It was the middle of the night. Lucky for us, he had an opening. After our first meeting, I could already see the positive direction he would take us. Despite having read loads of parenting books, we would try one thing for awhile only to fall back into a negative cycle. After meeting Sean, we finally had hope. Here's why. Sean has an amazing ability to connect with everyone in your family - parents, teens, kids - and then breakdown the issues you're having. Next, he gives you the tools you need to have effective, positive communication. He helped us course correct the negative patterns we had fallen into and today, we're able to lead with love and respect first. As parents, he helped us understand our kids. Who they are, who they are trying to be. That was probably the best gift of all. Within two weeks, we went from constantly criticizing to appreciating the people they are trying to become. He helped us replace yelling and the silent treatment with listening and understanding. Perhaps one of the greatest things of all was the new confidence we saw in our kids. When you replace yelling in your home with understanding, it leaves room for everyone inside to grow and be their best self. We went from grieving over conflict to celebrating each other's successes. They say it takes five adults to raise your kid effectively. We count our time with Sean in that circle. We will be forever indebted to him. If you are lucky enough to get on Sean's schedule, it will be money and time well spent. Don't wait. I wish we had called him two years sooner. read more

Sean is amazing in so many ways. His unique ability to get down to the personal level with a genuine care is remarkable. His communication, details and follow up are excellent. I can't say enough but that he is a life changer and would recommend him to ANY group or family that is in need of some help, counseling and guidance. Trust is hard to achieve in crisis and Sean is a trusted advocate to our family. read more

I recommend Sean Donahue and Sean Potts for parent and teen coaching! They are practical and give life hacks and tools how to break circles of defiance and how to help parents and teens communicate. They do not judge and do not waste time. If you have a teen and experience difficulties in parenting your teen, give them a call and get an introductory session. You will like them. I was super skeptical at first but they helped my family so they might help yours as well. read more

When I met Sean I was at the point of sending my teenage son away to military school. I was frustrated and exhausted by our strained relationship. On our first family meeting Sean said that he was, 'going to teach us a new language'. A language that helps bridge the gap between child and parent. This language not only helped our relationship with our son but it opened up new communication skills with our 13 year old daughter as well. I know that just sending my son to a therapist would only be half the solution. Our family meetings taught us all a more organic way of communicating. Sean's presence in our life was/is key to helping us navigate these challenging teenage years. read more

I am so thankful for the Seans! Not only did they teach us how to communicate with others but how to understand myself and what I desire! Also gave us amazing tools when it come to working with youth! read more

sean's biggest problem is idea of trends. he wants to be trendy by speaking to use of team approach. team approach speaks to a huge fat bill owed or payments that are extremely high from a business owner that thinks his office in danville gain a lot of money. what an arrogant man. dump the idea being in san ramon, danville, alamo, walnut creek, orinda, lafayette is a great idea. instead head your lazy butt over into tracy and deal with the teens over there or better yet, head into fairfield and vacaville to restart your head shrink practice there and by the way ---- lose the team, team approach speaks to a bunch of newly graduated interns still working on their licensure. lose the concept of coach as your descriptive self description. teens need coaching like an extra hole in their head. teens need to go and spend some time volunteering on a weekly basis and each year chose one nonprofit organization and stick with it for each year of high school and if they don't care for it after 1st year, then find 2nd year a different nonprofit as if they are employed by an employer for a real paycheck. then repeat during their education in a two year or four year college or a vocational trade school, etc... that makes more sense then wasting away their parents love. most teens in trivalley are disillusion they are very important and then one day they realize they only needed to learn the world does not revolve around them. once they spend time in volunteering, they make life better for others then life is better for them because their lives start making sense. Sorry, team of Sean, you all not that important! read more

Sean has had a great impact on our entire family. He's very innovative on his approach to helping emotionally troubled teens. Blending a family when you have two teenager can be challenging to say the least! Sean has given us valuable guidance and tools that both our son and daughter have responded to. He has been a blessing, and we thank God for the Sean's of this world. Thank you Sean! read more

Sean has a God given gift in connecting and understanding teens. He spent time with my son and I feel he is more than a coach, he is a personal friend and for that I am forever grateful! read more

I had the opportunity to work with Sean during an incredible challenging time in my family. Sean offered guidance and support with specific and practical interventions. With his genuine style he was able to gain quick respect- even from our teenager. Sean guided my husband and I to learn a way of parenting that was akin to a benevolent hierarchy. We learned the importance of setting loving and consistent boundaries. I highly recommend Sean for any family facing challenges with their teen! read more

My teen daughter and I were on a very difficult path. Sean pushed her in ways that I couldn't, and now she is a joy to be around. There was a 180* turnaround in her behavior and attitude. He was there when we needed him and I am grateful. read more