Want to have better relationships with the teens and young adults in your life? Backed by research, this practical, engaging guide by a clinical psychologist will help you connect and communicate. A great relationship is founded on mutual respect and understanding--especially as young people grow into independence and relate to their parents in a new way. Learn how to connect with your young adult children in this practical guide using techniques that focus on not on inducing compliance but rather on respecting their thoughts and understanding their motivations. • Discover why parents get on their older kids’ nerves and why young adults tend to dismiss parents’ input. • Understand how to suppress your parental “righting reflex” – the almost irresistible urge to help by offering reassurance and advice. • Learn what young people really think and feel, to help them figure out to navigate their decisions and dilemmas competently on their own. • Handle conflict in a way that is productive and nurtures the relationship. A five-step program based on Motivational Interviewing gives parents simple take-aways to have conversations about any topic, whether it is curfews, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, or college applications. Each chapter includes sample scripts and concludes with practical takeaways to get parents started immediately on having better conversations—and more rewarding relationships—with their young adults. About the Author: Emily Kline, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. She is the director of psychological services for the Wellness and Recovery After Psychosis clinic at Boston Medical Center. She specializes in using and adapting evidence-based practices; she is particularly sought out as a family therapist and clinical instructor. Dr. Kline’s articles have appeared in numerous scholarly journals and textbooks as well as the Boston Globe and Parents. Dr. Kline is a frequently invited speaker. |