Becoming Fathers: The Teen Years

When

The Group Leader

Josh Krieger, Psy.D. is a San Francisco-based clinical psychologist in private practice for the last 15 years. He specializes in working with men and couples. Josh has trained extensively in psychodynamic psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation, and integrative psychotherapy. He has been married for over 20 years and has a 14-year-old son.

Costs

The cost for attending this 10-session group is $550. 

Who Can Join?

The group will include 10 men and the leader. It is open to all fathers who have a child 13-19. Group members should have a willingness to examine their interpersonal behaviors, to share parts of their private lives, and to give and receive supportive feedback from a small supportive group.

How to Join?

If you're interested in joining this group, please send an email to Josh Krieger at josh@joshkrieger.com

Outline

Week 1 - The Shifting Sands of Connection: Understanding the New Relationship Landscape

As teens naturally pull away from childhood closeness, seeking independence and peer connections, many fathers feel a profound sense of loss or distance. How do we adapt from being a primary playmate/mentor to a more subtle guide. This week’s group will discuss grieving the "old" relationship, identifying new ways to connect, withdrawal, and healthy independence in your teen.

Week 2 - Navigating the "Pushback": Power, Authority, and Respect

The intense power struggles and defiance that can emerge as teens test boundaries and assert their autonomy, often leads fathers to feel disrespected, challenged, or inadequate. This week we will discuss your experiences with your teen’s healthy challenges and when they turn into disrespect, strategies for setting and enforcing boundaries effectively, de-escalation techniques, maintaining composure when provoked.

Week 3 - The Identity Mirror: Our Teens, Our Past, and Our Insecurities

How our teens' struggles with identity, choices, or behaviors can trigger our own unresolved issues, past experiences, or fears about our own masculinity or fatherhood. There is a pressure to "fix" them or see ourselves reflected in their successes/failures. This week's discussion will focus on personal triggers, letting go of control, teen identity formation, and separating our worth from our child's actions.

Week 4 - The Marital Front: Parenting Styles, Partnership, and Preserving Your Relationship

Raising teenagers can put a significant strain on our marital relationships, including differing parenting styles, increased conflict, and less time for intimacy. This week's discussion will focus on our individual parenting philosophies, strategies for presenting a united front with your spouse (even when you disagree), rekindling intimacy and connection amidst the chaos, and protecting the marital bond.

Week 5 - The Digital Divide: Technology, Social Media, and the "Lost" Connection

Are you feeling disconnected or out of touch with your teen's digital world, worrying about online dangers, managing screen time, and the pervasive impact of technology on communication and family dynamics. This week’s discussion focuses on talking about the teen digital landscape, setting technology boundaries, fostering in-person connection, modeling healthy tech habits, and addressing cyberbullying or online risks.

Week 6 - Teen Mental Health

Are you worried about how your teen manages pressure and emotional challenges? This session will focus on common mental health concerns in adolescence—such as anxiety, depression, and social stress—and how they impact behavior at home. We’ll discuss practical strategies for recognizing warning signs, fostering open communication, and supporting your teen’s emotional well-being while managing your own stress as a parent.

Week 7 - The Future and Our Fears: Guiding Teens Towards Adulthood

The anxieties about our teen's future (academic, career, relationships, life choices) and the urge to control or dictate their path, often stems from our own expectations or fears of failure. This week discussion topics include fostering resilience, allowing for mistakes as learning opportunities, managing expectations (ours and theirs), and preparing teens for real-world independence.

Week 8 - Communication Breakdown: When They Won't Talk (or We Don't Know How to Listen)

There can be so many frustrating communication barriers with your teens – teens giving one-word answers, avoiding difficult topics, or fathers struggling to listen without judgment or "fix it" mode. This week's discussion focuses on how to listen, creating safe spaces for conversation, understanding non-verbal cues, and knowing when not to talk.

Week 9 - "Am I Doing Enough?": Overcoming Guilt and Self-Doubt

Many fathers experience self-doubt and guilt about their parenting choices, their perceived shortcomings, or the feeling that they're "failing" their teen, especially when faced with challenges. This week’s discussion focuses on acknowledging the difficulty of parenting teens, celebrating small victories, recognizing effort over perfection, building a support network, and forgiving ourselves for mistakes.

Week 10 - Legacy and Learning: What We Want to Pass On (and What We've Learned from Them)

We will reflect on the values, lessons, and character traits we hope to instill in our teens, while also acknowledging how our teens challenge us to grow, adapt, and learn new perspectives. This week's discussion focuses on identifying core family values, discussing how teens challenge our assumptions, sharing lessons learned from their generation, and the evolving definition of "success" in parenting.