Description

Adolescence has changed. Young people now enter puberty earlier (in many cases, at ten or eleven) and leave home later. What's more, modern society expects children to grow up emotionally all too quickly.

The skills, knowledge and strategies parents need are clearly explained in Adolescence. Michael Carr-Gregg and Erin Shale discuss:
• The three big questions in an adolescent's life: 'Am I normal?' - 'Who am I?' - 'What is my place in the world?'
• Useful approaches for parents: techniques for communicating well, and addressing problems before they become crises.
• How to deal with serious issues such as depression, suicidal feelings, relationships and emerging sexuality, drugs and eating disorders.
• Parents' most frequently asked questions; how to set appropriate, negotiated boundaries; how to raise our children to be resilient adults and cope with difficulties in life.
• Why the key protective factor for adolescents is a sense of attachment to a significant adult in their lives; and how successful parenting is about providing young people with an environment where they feel safe, valued and listened to.

About the Author

Michael Carr-Gregg is an adolescent psychologist and one of Australia's leading authorities on teenage behaviour, specialising in parenting adolescents and adolescent mental health.
Erin Shale has been a high school careers counsellor for ten years, and is currently responsible for the motivation and guidance of over 1800 students.