Afton Turner, LPCC

10/26/2026

Halloween can get a little complicated when you're co-parenting. Who gets to take the kids trick-or-treating? Should you go together? What if Halloween falls on your co-parent's time?

And let's be honest, it can be disappointing to miss out on those memories.

In my newest blog post, I'm sharing some ideas for navigating Halloween between two homes, making the most of the time you have, and making sure our kiddos get to enjoy the holiday without worrying about how the adults are feeling. 🎃

Read it here

Have you noticed that Halloween is one of those tricky holidays that isn't always addressed in custody agreements? Yet it's a holiday packed full of memories and experiences that seem to revolve around one specific day. So how do you balance that when you're co-parenting?Unlike Christmas or Thanksgi...

10/24/2026

I’m currently accepting new clients for virtual therapy throughout Kentucky and Florida.

I work with adults, couples, parents, and families around family conflict, co-parenting, parent-adult child relationships, estrangement, and communication that keeps getting stuck.

Evening and weekend appointments are available, and I offer a free 15-minute consultation if you’d like to see if we might be a good fit before committing.

Learn more or reach out at aftonturner.com

If someone comes to mind who may be looking for this kind of support, please, pass this along!

10/21/2026

I have openings right now for virtual therapy in Kentucky and Florida.

I work with adults, parents, couples, and families who feel stuck in the same relationship patterns, whether that looks like parent-child conflict, co-parenting, family tension, or conversations that keep ending in the same place.

Sessions are virtual, and I offer evening and weekend availability to accommodate busy schedules.

If you’ve been thinking about therapy and want to see if we might be a good fit, I offer a free 15-minute consultation.

Start here:

Request a free 15-minute consultation with Afton Turner, LPCC. Virtual therapy for adults, parents, and families throughout Kentucky and Florida.

10/13/2026

When your adult child asks for space, it can be hard to know what to do next. Do you keep reaching out so they know you care, or step back and hope they don't interpret that as giving up?

In my newest blog post, I'm talking about what it can mean when an adult child asks for space, why the perfect text message doesn't exist, and how to decide whether reaching out is the right move.

Read it here:

When your adult child asks for space, it can be difficult to know what to do next. You don't want to overwhelm them, but you also don't want them to think you've given up. You may have gone weeks without speaking, and you're wondering whether sending a quick text would really be such a bad thing.I'm...

10/07/2026

I think learning the term “emotionally immature parent” can explain a LOT.

But then what?

Understanding why your parent responds the way they do doesn’t automatically change the relationship. They may still get defensive. You may still want an apology. You may still find yourself having the same conversation hoping this time it lands differently.

That’s really what I wanted to talk about in this post, not just how to recognize emotional immaturity, but what you actually do with that information once you have it.

10/06/2026

I keep hearing some version of, “My adult child is so disrespectful,” and I think that word can mean a lot of different things.

Sometimes the behavior really is harmful and needs to be addressed.

Other times, what feels like disrespect is simply disagreement or an adult child making a choice their parent would not make.

So, this post is really about slowing that down a little and asking: what actually happened that left you feeling disrespected? Because “they don’t respect me” and “they said something that hurt me” can lead to very different conversations.

When you feel disrespected by your adult child, it can be especially painful. This is someone you have spent years loving, raising, supporting, and trying to help. When the relationship starts to feel dismissive, tense, or hurtful, it makes sense that the word disrespect comes to mind.However, respe...

09/29/2026

Do you ever feel completely capable in your own life… until you’re around your parents or in your childhood home and suddenly you feel 15 again?

That feeling is actually a big part of what this post is about.

I wrote this for adults trying to figure out why their parents still seem to treat them like a child, even when they’ve built a whole adult life of their own.

This post gets into differentiation, family roles, unsolicited advice, and what it can look like to actually change the relationship instead of just feeling stuck in the same dynamic.

There is a lot of information online about parent-child relationships and what you should do, but there is no one guidebook that fits every family.Your relationship is shaped by the patterns that already exist, whether there has been abuse or neglect, how much time you spend together, your own capac...

09/27/2026

Co-parenting can be hard enough without feeling like every text, schedule change, or difference between homes is met with tension.

My newest post is about what actually helps when you’re trying to co-parent with a difficult ex, how to communicate without overexplaining, where to stop trying to control the other home, and how to keep your child out of the middle as much as possible.

Co-parenting after a separation is going to look different than parenting under one roof. Different does not automatically mean worse. Your child can have two homes, different routines, and parents who do not always agree and still feel safe and supported. What matters is that they know what to expe...

09/16/2026

Have you ever noticed that some conversations leave you feeling more connected, while others leave you feeling a little heavier?
That same pattern can show up between parents and adult children.

My newest post looks at why an adult child may stop calling as often, how everyday conversation patterns can quietly shape the relationship, and why connection needs room for more than stress, updates, and problems.

One of the biggest takeaways: commiseration can be part of connection, but it can’t be the only way you connect.

Have you ever left a conversation with someone you care about and realized you feel a little heavier than you did before? Nothing terrible happened. You may even have had a good conversation. But somehow you spent most of the time talking about what went wrong at work, who is sick, what someone else...

09/06/2026

It’s a holiday weekend, which got me thinking about the winter holiday season coming up and with that can come a lot of misunderstanding, pressure, and hurt feelings in families.

As adult children create traditions of their own, split time with partners and in-laws, or simply spend holidays differently than they used to, parents can be left wondering what it means about the relationship.

My newest post looks at why adult kids may not come home for the holidays, how family roles and traditions naturally change over time, and what can help parents stay connected without making one holiday carry the weight of the whole relationship.

When a parent asks, “Why don’t my adult kids come home for the holidays?” I think the question underneath it is often closer to: “Why don’t my kids want to be around me?”Holidays are supercharged with emotional memories. You spent years trying to make them special. You created traditions...