Start Feeling Better Now – Call (650) 461-9026 or Text (650) 461-9026
Failure to Launch might look like:
At Palo Alto Therapy, we specialize in helping young adults and their families break through the stuckness of “Failure to Launch.” Whether it’s avoidance, anxiety, executive functioning issues, or complex family dynamics, our skilled therapists use proven strategies to help your family move forward with greater confidence and clarity.
Call us (650) 461-9026 or Text us (650) 461-9026 today to get started, or book online – in-person and video appointments available!
“Failure to Launch” refers to a pattern where young adults have difficulty transitioning into independent adulthood.
“Failure to Launch” isn’t about laziness or a lack of intelligence. Instead, it’s often the result of underlying anxiety, perfectionism, self-doubt, or mental health challenges that make the transition to adulthood feel overwhelming. Instead of progressing toward independence, many young adults retreat, while well-meaning parents unintentionally reinforce the pattern through over-support or accommodation.
Whether your young adult is avoiding responsibilities, struggling with low self-confidence, or feeling paralyzed by expectations, therapy can help identify what’s getting in the way and guide the entire family toward sustainable change.
The challenges of Failure to Launch can take many forms. Recognizing these patterns helps us tailor the most effective therapy approach:
No matter the reason, stuckness is not permanent. With the right support, young adults can develop the confidence, structure, and resilience needed to take meaningful steps forward.
At Palo Alto Therapy, we work with both young adults and parents to identify the roadblocks, change stuck patterns, and build skills that promote long-term independence.
We use proven, research-based methods such as:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps young adults identify and reframe the self-defeating thoughts that lead to avoidance, anxiety, and procrastination. It also provides concrete tools for breaking large goals into manageable steps.
SPACE-Informed Parent Work
We often work directly with parents using strategies based on Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE. By adjusting how they respond to stuck behaviors, parents can stop enabling and begin empowering without pushing their child away.
Family Therapy and Boundary Setting
When appropriate, we help families communicate more effectively and set respectful, firm boundaries around responsibility, finances, and expectations, creating a supportive path forward for everyone.
Failure to Launch isn’t permanent. With the right guidance and support, young adults can build the skills and confidence they need to move forward.
If you’re ready to help your child take that next step, or you’re a young adult who’s feeling overwhelmed by how to move forward, reach out today.
Call us (650) 461-9026 or Text us (650) 461-9026, or book online – online to get started today.
With convenient office locations in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Jose, we proudly serve the entire Silicon Valley community – from Stanford University and the Peninsula to the South Bay, offering easy access for tech professionals, students, and families.
That depends on the challenges involved. Some families see early progress in just a few sessions, while others benefit from steady support over time. We focus on real, sustainable progress while also helping your family move forward at the speed you’d prefer.
Yes. We offer individual therapy for young adults, parent coaching, and family therapy depending on what will be most effective. Sometimes, even if the young adult isn’t ready to participate, parent-focused therapy can create meaningful change.
Not exactly. While we help young adults clarify values and goals, our focus is on the emotional and behavioral obstacles to growth, like anxiety, avoidance, perfectionism, or executive dysfunction, that often need to be addressed before planning next steps.
That’s common. We can help parents shift their own responses in ways that encourage engagement without forcing it. SPACE-based strategies are especially helpful for motivating change while preserving trust and connection.
Yes. We work with both teens and young adults struggling with independence, school engagement, or long-term planning. Therapy is tailored to the developmental stage and goals of each client.
There isn’t one single cause. Failure to Launch is often the result of a combination of emotional, cognitive, and environmental factors. Anxiety, depression, perfectionism, ADHD, and low self-confidence can all make independence feel overwhelming. In some cases, over-accommodation from well-meaning parents unintentionally reinforces avoidance. Social struggles, executive function difficulties, or past setbacks can also play a role. Therapy helps untangle these root causes and creates a path forward.
Our goal is to support lasting, confident independence. That can look different for every family. For young adults, therapy often focuses on reducing anxiety, building motivation, developing structure, and increasing follow-through. For parents, we aim to shift patterns of enabling and strengthen boundary-setting skills. Overall, therapy helps families move from stuckness to progress, one step at a time.
Specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we provide effective & caring counseling. Our therapists are passionate in delivering high-quality therapy & enhance their skills through the latest trainings.
Our relationship with you is valued & of highest importance. We are compassionate, respectful, & honest. Our professional counseling includes working side by side with you towards YOUR goals.
Our active therapists use tailored homework exercises to help you find relief in a timely manner. By keeping our meetings on track & targeting specific concerns we help you enjoy life again, usually in a matter of months not years.
Appointments after 5pm & Saturdays, friendly administrative staff, & three locations: Palo Alto, Menlo Park, & San Jose. We help children, teens & adults, couples, & families. Video therapy available!
I found the homework exercises to be very helpful to me. I’ve been able to use techniques I have learned from those exercises to slow down my thoughts when problems arise and work through whatever the issue may be, OCD or otherwise.
I liked the emphasis on doing concrete things to get results-writing down negative thoughts, trying to say things to counter those thoughts…Thank you for helping me make my life better.
Palo Alto Therapy does not just provide talk therapy, but focuses on teaching skills to maintain therapy. You have a genuine interest in the client’s well-being and you offered a new way of thinking about or means of addressing my issues.
