A New Theory of Teenagers: Seven Transformational Strategies to Empower You and Your Teen

by Christa Santangelo

A guide for families to thrive in the midst of the tumultuous teen years -- and the culmination of the author's twenty-five years of experience in both conventional psychology and alternative methods

In her decades of practice and academic research, Dr. Christa Santangelo, a psychologist and assistant clinical professor at the University of California-San Francisco, has seen many relationships devastated by the emotional hurricane that teenagers can inflict on a family. Yet Dr. Santangelo also understands how that conflict can be resolved and a new way forward mapped together between parents and teen. In A New Theory of Teenagers, she gives parents the advice, tips, support, and big-picture overview needed to see the teen years as an opportunities for growth and positive relationship changes. With counterintuitive steps (such as "Endure Emotions"), she offers hope and empowerment. Dr. Santangelo asserts that parents have a far greater impact on conflict with their teen than they may realize, metaphorically handing parents back the power to shift the situation to harmony.

And, Dr. Santangelo does it with a fresh and multi-dimensional approach to the parent-teen relationship by integrating conventional psychology with alternative methods including yoga and meditation-intended to work on building trust, sitting with and understanding emotions, and seeing room for positivity in the midst of it all.

Genres: Self Help

208 pages, Paperback

Published November 27, 2018

About the author

Featured in top media including The New York Times and The Huffington Post, Christa Santangelo PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in the healing power of the parent-teen relationship. Since completing her post-doctoral fellowship at Yale, Dr. Santangelo has served as assistant clinical professor at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). A New Theory of Teenagers: Seven Transformational Strategies to Empower You and Your Teen distills her 25 years of experience working with parents and teens – leveraging the parent-teen conflict as an opportunity for spiritual growth and personal transformation. Dr. Santangelo is also a mother who offers personal wisdom from her own parenting journey. For more information about Dr. Santangelo, visit www.christasantangelo.com

Reviews

[Kris Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two teenagers & found this book very helpful in rethinking my parenting. Dr. Santangelo gives an accessible guide for parents to shift perspectives in order navigate the sometimes baffling behavior of teens. Nurturing and maintaining a loving and respectful relationship with your kids is the takeaway from this book. The author encourages growth in not just the teen, but also the parent. I completed some of the end-of-chapter questions & exercises. I can now articulate my triggers and also pinpoint the sources of repeated conflict with my kids. Do my kids & I still lock horns? Yep. But now I’m more mindful of my own sensitivities & how that can unintentionally influence my teen. This book digs deep into the parent’s inner life to allow space for a teen’s healthy growth. Highly recommended.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did not live up to the hype. I found minimal strategies that I could apply in my conservative lifestyle. It had some new-age advice like do deep breathing and identify where in your body you feel the source of conflict. It even got into chakras.