Teenagers naturally experience a rollercoaster of emotions, making everyday pressures and transitional changes overwhelming for parents and adolescents alike. Our guest Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist, and best-selling author of ‘The Emotional Lives of Teenagers’ emphasizes the integrality of validating teenagers' emotions while also providing a framework on how to understand and support them. 

In this episode, Lisa reveals what to expect from teenage emotional development, and why we need to change the way we approach adolescent mental health. Learn effective ways to maintain open lines of communication, clearly articulate values, cope with common challenges such as too much gaming time and disengaging at school, and foster deeper bonds. With research-informed explanations and real-life examples, this episode gives parents the tools needed to support their teens through this difficult stage in life.

• From where does the reputation of teenagers derive, and is it justified?
  
• Why do teenagers experience such powerful emotions as they transition from childhood to adolescence? 
  
• The distinction between hot and cold cognition, and how parents can use this knowledge to help their teenagers prepare for situations where they may become overwhelmed or not be able to think clearly.
  
• Is it a myth that difficult emotions are damaging or should be avoided? 
  
• How to help teenagers with expressing their feelings.
  
• Why distraction can be an effective coping strategy for teens to regulate their emotions.
  
• How communication and a sense of safety can have a meaningful impact on adolescent behavior.   
  
• Why do teenagers find their parents so ‘annoying’?
  
• Are there gender differences in emotion? 
  

• For more on Lisa’s work, visit her website: https://drlisadamour.com/
  
  
• Check out the Ask Lisa podcast: https://drlisadamour.com/resources/podcast/
  
• Order your copy of Lisa’s books: 
  

The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9780593500019

Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9780553393071

Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9780399180071

• Follow Lisa on Facebook (@lisadamourphd), Instagram (@lisa.damour) or Twitter (@LDamour)

Dr. Lisa Damour is the author of three New York Times best sellers: Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. She co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and is recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association. Dr. Damour is also a regular contributor to The New York Times and CBS News.

Dr. Damour serves as a Senior Advisor to the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University and has written numerous academic papers, chapters, and books related to education and child development. She maintains a clinical practice and also speaks to schools, professional organizations, and corporate groups around the world on the topics of child and adolescent development, family mental health, and adult well-being.

Dr. Damour graduated with honors from Yale University and worked for the Yale Child Study Center before earning her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan. She has been a fellow at Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy and the University of Michigan’s Power Foundation. She and her husband are the proud parents of two daughters.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices