Where can you find inner child support outside therapy?
The main options are peer support fellowships such as Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families, Co-Dependents Anonymous and Al-Anon; mental health organizations such as NAMI, which run free peer-led groups across both Carolinas; and books. None of these is therapy, and none claims to be. They offer company, language for what you have lived through, and a regular place to put it.
Groups and books can sit alongside counseling or come before it. They are not a substitute for a trained therapist when childhood memories bring up more than you can manage on your own, and our page on when inner child work feels overwhelming covers the signs. If you are looking for a therapist, see finding an inner child therapist in the Carolinas.
Twelve-step fellowships that talk about the inner child
Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families (ACA)
ACA describes itself as a twelve-step program focused on emotional sobriety, for people "profoundly affected by the dysfunction in our families of origin, whether alcohol was present in the home or not." It says it is a spiritual program, not a religious one, that it has no membership fees, and that the only requirement is a desire to recover from the effects of growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family.
ACA has a page devoted to the inner child. It notes that many members say they feel like a child in a grown-up body, and that some experience more than one inner child at different ages. ACA's own literature includes its fellowship text, sold as the Big Red Book, and the Loving Parent Guidebook. ACA also says it is not allied with any form of therapy, while encouraging informed counseling alongside its program. Its site has a meeting search and a calendar of online and telephone meetings. Because each meeting is run independently, ACA suggests trying another meeting if the first is not a fit.
Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA)
CoDA is a twelve-step fellowship whose site says the only requirement for membership is a desire for healthy and loving relationships. It describes codependence in terms many inner child readers will recognize: learning to doubt your own perception, discount your feelings and overlook your needs. Meetings are listed on its site under Meetings.
Al-Anon Family Groups
Al-Anon is for people who are worried about someone with a drinking problem, including adults who grew up with a parent who drank. Its site offers a self-assessment quiz and a search for meetings and local Al-Anon offices.
NAMI groups and helplines in North and South Carolina
The National Alliance on Mental Illness works through state organizations and local affiliates. Its groups are peer-led, for people living with a mental health condition and, separately, for family members. They are not specific to inner child work, but many adults find them a steady, low-pressure place to talk.
- NAMI North Carolina: Helpline 800-451-9682, or text 919-999-6527, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its calendar lists NAMI Connection recovery groups and family support groups around the state.
- NAMI Charlotte: runs NAMI Connection recovery groups, including groups for women and for men, NAMI Family Support Groups and the Family-to-Family course. Its NAMI Navigator CLT line, 704-705-7004, helps people find services in the Charlotte region, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- NAMI South Mountains: covers Polk County, along with Rutherford, Cleveland, Burke, Lincoln and Gaston. Office 828-229-3338; helpline 828-771-6305.
- NAMI South Carolina: office line 800-788-5131, with support groups run by local affiliates. For Landrum, Inman and Campobello, NAMI Spartanburg is at 864-406-8126.
- NAMI HelpLine (national): 800-950-6264, or text NAMI to 62640.
More local lists
Our guide to support groups in Charlotte lists other groups in the city. For Tryon, Columbus and the Upstate, crisis and support resources for Polk County and Upstate SC includes grief, senior and domestic violence services.
Books people often start with
These are popular books, not research, and they reflect their authors' views. Read slowly, and put a book down if it stirs up more than you can hold. Details below are from each publisher's own page.
- Charles L. Whitfield, Healing the Child Within: Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families (Health Communications Inc.). One of the books that brought the phrase "child within" to a wide audience.
- John Bradshaw, Homecoming: Reclaiming and Healing Your Inner Child (Bantam). Organized around stages of childhood, with exercises such as letter writing. Our page on writing a letter to your inner child covers that practice gently.
- Lindsay C. Gibson, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (New Harbinger, 2015). About growing up with parents who were distant, rejecting or self-involved.
- ACA's fellowship text, Adult Children of Alcoholic/Dysfunctional Families, known as the Big Red Book, and its Loving Parent Guidebook, both sold through ACA's own shop.
Crisis lines and helplines
Inner child work can bring up memories of neglect or abuse. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health or suicidal crisis, call or text 988, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is free, confidential and available around the clock. Laura Bass Counseling is not a crisis service.
- Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741, any time, from anywhere in the United States.
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (1-800-662-HELP), for treatment referral and information on mental health and substance use.
- Mecklenburg County (Charlotte): Alliance Health, the public mental health manager for Mecklenburg, lists its Behavioral Health Crisis Line as 877-223-4617, 24 hours a day. NAMI Charlotte lists the 24/7 mobile crisis line as 704-566-3410.
- Polk County (Tryon and Columbus): Vaya Health, whose website now carries the name Vaya Partners, runs the Behavioral Health Crisis Line, 1-800-849-6127, 24 hours a day.
- South Carolina, including York, Lancaster and Spartanburg counties: SC Mobile Crisis, 833-364-2274, toll-free and available 24/7 anywhere in the state, from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
How to choose a group, and when to add therapy
Try a group more than once before deciding, and try a different meeting if the first feels wrong. Notice whether people listen without fixing, whether sharing is optional, and whether you leave steadier than you arrived. ACA notes that members have the right not to share until they are ready, which is a good standard for any group.
Consider adding individual counseling if old memories keep breaking into your days, if you feel numb or far away for long stretches, or if a group stirs up more than it settles. Laura Bass offers inner child work as part of individual counseling for adults in Charlotte and at The Healing Cottage in Columbus, and is licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina. Inner child work with Laura Bass explains how to get in touch.
A note on dates
Every phone number and meeting detail on this page was read on the organization's own website on 29 October 2026. Organizations change numbers, names and meeting formats, so please confirm on their site before you rely on one. This page is due for review in April 2027.
Common questions
Is there an inner child support group in Charlotte?
Groups labeled "inner child" are uncommon, but Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families works directly with the inner child idea, and its site has a meeting search plus a calendar of online and telephone meetings. NAMI Charlotte runs free peer-led recovery and family groups. Check meeting times on each organization's own site, because they change.
Do I have to come from an alcoholic family to attend ACA?
No. ACA says its members were affected by dysfunction in their families of origin whether alcohol was present in the home or not, and that the only requirement for membership is a desire to recover from growing up in an alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional family. It also says it is a spiritual program, not a religious one.
Can a support group replace therapy for inner child work?
For some people a group is enough, and for others it is a good companion to counseling. A group cannot assess you, help you pace painful memories or respond if you become overwhelmed. If childhood experiences are disrupting your sleep, work or relationships, a licensed therapist is worth adding.
What should I do if old memories bring on a crisis?
Call or text 988 at any hour, or text HOME to 741741. In Polk County you can also call Vaya's crisis line at 1-800-849-6127; in Mecklenburg, Alliance Health at 877-223-4617; anywhere in South Carolina, SC Mobile Crisis at 833-364-2274. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.