You are not alone.
Family estrangement in general, and parental estrangement in particular, have been called a silent epidemic in our society. Seventy million persons over the age 18 indicate they are estranged from a family member. That includes 5 million parents whose adult children have cut off or seriously curtailed communication with them. There are many factors on both sides, but laying blame gets us nowhere. Most important is realizing that parental estrangement results in a trauma with symptoms similar to those returning from combat zones. The mental, emotional, relational, physical, and medical toll can be overwhelming.
PEAK, Parents of Estranged Adult Kids was founded in 2019 as a national movement to aid estranged parents in their recovery process. PEAK WNC (Western North Carolina) is a regional chapter of that movement.
The way that parental estrangement unfolds is different for everyone. So is the path of recovery. Some find books are important, others social media, still others recovery groups. This PEAK WNC webpage is designed to help you find what you need to heal and move forward in your life.
Since many professionals are not familiar with the magnitude and impacts of parental estrangement, we also offer faith-based and secular-based training for clergy, chaplains, parish nurses, therapists, physicians, attorneys, and financial planners.
Groups
PEAK Book Study
Meets every Thursday beginning October 23rd
10:30 – 11:30 am
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
22 Fisher Road
Brevard, NC 28712
Parent of Estranged Adult Kids Class
Meets every Sunday for six weeks beginning January 11, 2026.
2:00 to 4:00 pm
Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church
207 Mitchell Rd
Greenville, SC 29615
For more information or to register click here
Resources
“The PEAK book is masterful, touching and spot on. You did for me in one book what a full staff of pastors have been trying to do for months. I want to bottle this and circle the globe giving estranged parents a sip. What a blessing. I am so grateful to you.”
This book is written to serve as a resource for parents with estranged adult kids. If you are an estranged parent, little more needs to be said about the need for this book. You have likely been wandering about in a silent wilderness with little to comfort or guide you. You may have talked with friends or consulted with a physician, clergy person, or even a professional therapist and found little help.
There are few situations more agonizing in life than to find that your adult child has cut off communication with you and possibly you from your grandchildren. People who have experienced the loss of a friend in war, family members to car accidents or physical violence, or the loss of all their material possessions will testify that the pain from all these losses pales in comparison to that of the estrangement from children and grandchildren.
Without assigning blame or eliciting shame, this book offers a path of acceptance and healing for those seeking to move forward as loving, compassionate people who still have something to give the world in spite of this greatest of losses.
A surprising study of parental estrangement from a Biblical perspective which reveals that family estrangement is common in families.
$14.95 from PayPal
This book outlines a journey that promotes healing for your spirit, body, and mind while leaving room for hope amid estrangement.
$18.00 from PayPal
Everyone deserves to recover.
Recovery Coaching
Recovery coaching is designed to help estranged parents heal from the multiple impacts of estrangement through in-person sessions with PEAK founder, Fe Anam Avis. In these sessions, parents set goals for their recovery process, and are offered practical tools and resources to support them. Recovery coaching is not psychological therapy, and is not appropriate for persons suffering from mental health disorders.
(Recovery coaching is only offered for residents in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.)
“A painful, mysterious, and isolating condition is flooded with light by PEAK. Now I can see a path.”
Anonymous
SPEAK Training
In SPEAK Awareness Training, participants gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the estrangement issue, the collateral impacts on other relationships, the factors that contribute to estrangement, and the mental, emotional, physical, and relational consequences. In longer formats, participants learn how to have helpful conversations with an estranged parents that will reduce isolation and promote recovery.
SPEAK Awareness Training can be tailored to three different groups:
a. General audiences (retirement centers, senior centers, service organizations, adult education, etc.)
b. Professionals (social workers, therapists, financial planners, estate attorneys, etc.)
c. Faith Community leaders (clergy, lay pastors, parish nurses, chaplains, etc.)
About Estrangement
Contact
PEAK Western North Carolina
Email: fe@asecondday.com
Cell: 614-208-4090
PEAK CAROLINAS serves the estranged parents in our region through a partnership with the
Council on Aging for Henderson County.
PEAK CAROLINAS is a regional chapter of PEAK International, a non-profit with headquarters in Albany, New York.
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