Teen Speak: A guide to understanding and communicating with your teen

by Jennifer Salerno, Nathalie Ghioni (Illustrator)

Overview

Protect, connect and build trust with Teen Speak.

The stronger your relationship with your teen, the greater the opportunity to guide them through any challenges the teen years present. Along with a greater appreciation and understanding of how your teen is wired, you'll also learn proven communication strategies for talking with your teen, instead of at your teen.

Written by a mother of two and an expert in the science of adolescent behavior, this guide translates the strategies employed by health care professionals into accessible, practical tactics for parents who want to build and strengthen a trusting relationship with their tween or teen that will last through adulthood. Additional resources are available at DrJenniferSalerno.com

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997701302
Publisher:	Jennifer Salerno
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	174
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

Jennifer Salerno, DNP, CPNP, FAANP is a nurse practitioner, author, speaker, and founder of Possibilities for Change (PossibilitiesforChange.com). She has practiced for over 20 years as a nurse practitioner working with diverse adolescent populations and has served as a board member and adviser in many state and national organizations and initiatives to improve adolescent health. This work opened her eyes to the prevention effort needed to reduce serious injury and premature death rates in teens. In keeping with her favorite quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," Jennifer founded Possibilities for Change and set out to develop user friendly tools and trainings for health-care professionals to use to quickly identify risky teen behaviors and provide effective counseling to reduce those risks. She received the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Hilary E.C. Millar Award for Innovative Approaches to Adolescent Health Care for her work in developing the nation's leading adolescent risk screening system: the Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services (RAAPS). Dr. Salerno understands that health professionals aren't the only ones concerned about helping adolescents navigate the teen years - parents have the biggest influence. Further fueled by a passion to also help parents connect with their teens on important risks like substance use, sex, and mental health-related issues, she authored this book to help ensure that parents have the support and resources they need to handle the challenges of raising a teen. When not working to improve adolescent health, Jennifer loves family time exploring the country biking, hiking, and skiing with her husband, daughter and son.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments, Foreword, Introduction, The Birth of Teen Speak, Congratulations - You Are the Parent of a Teenager!, Before You Get Started, Section 1: Getting to Know Your Teen, 1-Foundations for Talking With Your Teen; 2-Teen Development - The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful; 3-Physical Development - Body Changes; 4-Cognitive Development - Thinking Skills; 5-Emotional Development - Feelings; 6-Sexual Development - Changing Desires; 7-Teens and Risky Behaviors - What Are They Doing?; 8-Changing Behaviors; 9-Strengths of Teens - They Are AMAZING!; Section 2: Talking With Your Teen, 10-Proven Communication Strategies - Setting the Stage; 11-Building a Strong Foundation; 12-Open-Ended Questions - Learning More From Your Teen; 13-Affirmations - Focusing on the Positives; 14-Reflections - Listening and Responding; 15-Change Talk - Let Them Tell You What You Want to Hear; Section 3: Avoiding Common Pitfalls, 16-Planning for Success; 17-Handling Difficult Behaviors - Introduction; 18-Handling Difficult Behaviors - Strategies; 19-Handling Difficult Behaviors - Using the Strategies; Final Thoughts; Parent and Teen Resources, Where This Information Came From

Editorial Reviews

"Teen Speak brings much-needed science to the complex task of parenting teens.Dr. Salerno's real life scenarios and practical suggestions reflect her professional expertise as a nurse practitioner who has cared for many teens and guided preventive care improvements among clinicians and public health professionals. This book offers numerous techniques that aim to transfer healthy decision making skills from parent to teen. A must read for all parents!"--Margaret McManus, The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health. "Teen Speak is a valuable resource for parents. More importantly it provides ways for parents to develop the skills to connect with their adolescents, helping them to become 'askable' parents."--Barb Flis, Parent Action for Healthy Kids "Teen Speak is the closest thing to an owner's manual for parents of teenagers. They will find insight about their developing teens and practical advice and guidance on how to support healthy parent-teen relationships. A must read for every parent!"--Dr. Terri D. Wright, American Public Health Association "Teen Speak offers a valuable road map to navigate the rewarding yet challenging transitions involved in parenting adolescents. By integrating experience, evidence, and empathy, this book provides a strategic framework to achieve meaningful dialogue and healthy relationships between teens and parents."--Dr. Fred D. Rachman, Alliance of Chicago Community Health Services "Teen Speak provides excellent techniques for talking with teens and finding ways to adapt our approaches to avoid conversational dead ends. I plan to use these with my patients and my sons."--Dr. Steve North, Family Physician and Adolescent Medicine Specialist "A must read book for any parent of a pre-teen or teen! Teen Speak offers practical, easy to understand strategies for improving communication and strengthening your relationship with your teen."--Carrie Tarry, Adolescent Health Coordinator, State of Michigan and parent of two teenage sons "Teen Speak provides practical advice and explanations for parents to help teens navigate the challenges in adolescent years. The book expands on Dr. Salerno's pioneering work building positive research-based programs for teens and communities."--David Yeung, ETR Associates

From the Publisher