93: Tackling Some of the Biggest Issues Parents Face in Raising Teens

07/15/24 • 19 min

Jon Mattleman received his B.A. from Clark University in 1978, and his MS in Counseling from the University of Hartford in 1981. Jon’s workshops and presentations are geared to give participants tools they can implement immediately, strategies that work with children and youth, and approaches which have proven to be critical to building healthy relationships. Jon frequently consults with schools, parent groups, mental health organizations, and in workplace settings regarding the issues of anxiety, stress, depression, suicide, parenting, and the emotional consequences of technology.

Jon is a certified trainer in QPR Suicide Prevention and has worked with professionals in schools, with state organizations such as the Massachusetts Probation Department, as well as with hundreds of parents regarding self-harm and suicide prevention. Jon is best known for his talk “The Secret Life of Teens and Tweens” and has presented this to thousands of parents all over New England. Jon has appeared on numerous radio and television shows lending his expertise on anxiety, depression, suicide, teens, and parenting.

When teenagers are giving their parents an attitude, how should they deal with that?
Parents shouldn’t take an attitude from their teens personally.
Be Patient. Never change your expectations of your teen, however you may need to change your timeline.
Parents can practice giving themselves a time-out so they don’t say something they wish they could take back.
What do you do if a kid gets in trouble, for example- smoking in the bathroom at school?
What do you do when you learn that your son/daughter is having sex, do you confront them?
“In the dark conversations” can be very effective when having challenging conversations as facial expressions can alter the outcome.
Jon talks about a teen’s brain and what motivates them at different stages, and how to prepare and recognize these shifts.

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