Your Amazing Teen Brain: CBT and Neuroscience Skills to Stress Less, Balance Emotions, and Strengthen Your Growing Mind

by Elisa Nebolsine, Judith S. Beck (Foreword)

"Teens looking for help in understanding their brains and making positive shifts will find this effective." —Kirkus Reviews Your teen brain is amazing! These fun and easy “brain hacks” will help you make the most of your growing mind, deal with ALL the feelings, build friendships, and face life’s challenges with confidence. As a teen, your brain is changing—a lot! Your feelings are bigger and more intense. Friends and peers are more important than ever before. You’re discovering who you are as a person, and what matters to you. And you’re also starting to understand how the world works—and not all of it is sunshine and roses. If you’re like many other teens, you may feel overwhelmed by these changes. And that’s okay! In Your Amazing Teen Brain , you’ll find skills grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and neuroscience to help you take advantage of your growing mind, manage difficult emotions, build better relationships, and face all the challenges of growing up—from academic pressure to social drama. You’ll also gain a better understanding of how your brain works and why the teen years are so intense, and find real skills you can use to stay cool when emotions take over. Life as a teen is exciting and challenging, and your brain is energized and ready for change. With this unique guide, you’ll learn to make the most of your growing brain, so you can be your very best. What are you waiting for?

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

192 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2021

About the author

Elisa Nebolsine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

Reviews

[Amy D-M · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an adolescent (16-28) education researcher, I was happy to see this book listed as a new acquisition at the library and hopeful of what I would find within the pages: CBT for teens, a book written to teens about neuroscience and their brains, about creating a mindful roadmap for the future while creating your own story—I tend to read a book diagonally first to see what’s in store: Chapter 11 Telling Your Story, I was seriously heartened to see.

But, sadly, upon completion, I’m terribly disappointed.

It’s almost as if this book’s editor missed checking who the book is written for/to, to focus the writer on her suggested audience. Nebolsine switches between writing directly to teens to writing about teens, often in an almost saccharine “I know how to talk with young people way” —that in my experience shuts a door quickly.

She really seems off target, especially when she uses words like stupid (in an activity she uses with patients, no less) and dumb, or cites single studies as facts, saying things like “in fact most teens_____”.

I almost put the book down for good upon reading “there is no other time in your life when things will feel as good as they do during early to middle puberty” what about kids who are struggling or never feel good—this could suggest that life won’t ever get better and they’ve somehow failed.

Still, I kept reading hopeful that she might clear the path and lead someplace hopeful, but the book—while it cites some classically fantastic research and even quotes Neil Gaiman—it’s disjointed and often rambling.

Skip this one and go to some of the studies/books she refers to in her references or grab work about the brain from Jill Bolte Taylor or The Teenage Brain by Frances Jensen.

I do so wish this could’ve delivered a primer to share with young adults, what a boon that could be.

[Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife bought Your Amazing Teen Brain for our two daughters. Neither of them has read it and neither is receptive to reading. The adults have read it – I just finished Saturday. The book is good, but it’s a mishmash of brain science and self-help.

I enjoyed the material on the developing teen brain. It helped explain teen behavior.

The self-help material deals with topics that I’ve seen many times before: meditation, telling yourself the right stories, the need for meaning in life, etc.

Your Amazing Teen Brain is a good, short read. But I don’t know if you can get your teen to read it.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Rather than explaining in detail how every part of your brain works, the author focuses on the newer research around adolescent brain development and explains it so that kids can understand. It makes sense and is highly useful. It’s also a surprisingly fun read- it’s written for teens by someone who definitely knows teens. It isn’t condescending or written down to them. I highly recommend. I bought it for my teens, but found myself reading the entire thing.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don't see many teenagers choosing to read this book (or stick with it), I do think this would be a valuable resource for educators and parents. I find the science behind this fascinating, and I'm a big proponent of CBT therapy. This is pieced together in a great way and lays out the facts in an approachable, easy to understand way. As an educator, I found this to be a great asset and I will be recommending this to my colleagues and parents.

[Gena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of these books have no option but to repeat information otherwise they would be inaccurate. Therefore I give my rating based not only on the overall science revealed, as it is the same across the board, but how it is presented, organized and if they offer something new. The brain hacks offered as well as insights were welcome and nicely spaced out amongst the science.

[Melania Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! A must-read for teens and especially for parents of teenagers. It provides great information and advice on how to understand and help teens become adults, how to guide them on their way to adulthood.

[Sara Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elisa does a fantastic job of explaining CBT and how our brains work to teens (and their parents!). This book was both easy to read and well researched.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read and some of the brain hacks can be valuable.

[Sabrina Kimbriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for work, but found myself grabbing key takeaways to use in my own life too!

[M Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teenager, I really enjoyed this book! I just started college and I wish I'd had it in middle or high school. The style was very accessible for younger audiences, and I liked the "Brain Hack" sections, which provided bite-sized strategies for working with a teenager's more reactive brain. The part I found most incisive was the last few chapters, which described how to motivate yourself by finding meaning and purpose in your life--that certainly agrees with my experience, and it's a huge piece of advice I wish I could have given my younger self. Overall, the focus on using research and concrete strategies to improve your life was very helpful for me.