Jane Gilmour

You: "How was your day?" Your child: "Fine." As a parent, you want to know what is going on in your child's life, how school and friendships are going, if they're feeling okay. As a kid you want to tell your parent what's going on, but it can be hard to find the words. This book is brilliant because it makes finding those words easy, and you discover incredible stuff about each other. How exactly do you make it happen? This accessible guide answers the million-dollar question by steering you, step by step through carefully supported and structured conversational platforms that encourage connection and strengthen relationship bonds. Written by two top clinical psychologists who have worked with families over many years they have, uniquely, designed it for you to read and experience, together. Inside this book you will find a range of fun, illustrated child-friendly conversation activities, organised around four key themes: who are you? how are you? what helps? what gets in the way? There is powerful evidence that building good parent-child communication skills improves emotional wellbeing, physical health, academic and employment success. It helps set up a trusting relationship so you can navigate adolescence and later life successfully. It's important to start early because it takes time to learn skills.

If you wished that modern teens came with a manual, honestly, you need look no further. Samantha Murray Greenway (parent of two teenagers. It is perhaps the best book for mental health professionals to recommend to families. Professor Peter Fonagy, Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences Director, Chief Executive, Anna Freud National Centre for Children & Families, Won ??? in the Health & Wellbeing Category in the 2019 Teach Awards Packed with tried and tested strategies, this is a must read guide for anyone parenting, teaching or supporting teens. The authors draw from the latest research in neuroscience and psychology, years of clinical expertise and first-hand parenting experience. It's relatable like your best friend's advice, and informed by scientific evidence - easy to read, hard to put down. The authors, who are clinical psychologists, lead you through tried and tested strategies to build strong relationships and improve communication with young people as they develop, learn and grow. Guiding you through ways to communicate effectively with teens without negatively affecting their self-esteem, the book has plenty of tips about what to say, what not say and the best mindset to use with teens, day to day. As your relationship with your teen improves, so does their wellbeing, and their amazing potential to succeed.