Tricky Teens

Tricky Teens

Andrew Fuller's new book Tricky Teens provides parents with a step-by-step guide to understanding what is really going on in the minds of their teenagers - and why; handling common conflict situations faced by every family with a teenager and successfully navigating common difficulties; creating a relatively peaceful happy family environment; and raising your teens so that they can successfully leave home, get a job and become wonderful adults.

A clinical psychologist, Andrew has spent years helping parents understand and assist their tricky teens to safely navigate adolescence. He says that the key to understanding teenagers is to realise that their behaviour is caused by two things: the routines and habits that are ingrained in their lives and their families' lives; and the neurochemicals and hormones washing around in that massive soup bowl called their brains.

Learning how to parent in ways that manage the heady heights and deep troughs of moods and acts caused by these neurochemicals is life saving and sanity preserving.

Tricky Teens is divided into four sections:
1. Neurochemistry and Habit: Understand the teenage brain to know what really causes tricky teen behaviours.
2. Overcoming Common Problems: helping teens successfully navigate common problems such as anxiety, arguments, boy smarts, computer addiction, girl smarts, the opposite sex, reclusive teenagers, sibling conflict, suicide prevention, zombies and zits.
3. Changing patterns: A six–week program for re-establishing communications with your teenage son or daughter.
4. Essential Conversations: Twelve essential talks to have with your teenager:
The golden rule.
Forgiveness.
Sincerity, or why apologies matter.
Success and a good life.
Gracious living, or losing and winning well.
Empathy and compassion.
Why it is important to be honest.
Integrity and reputation.
How to care of yourself.
How to be an adult.
How to manage living independently.
Finding romance.

Clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller is a Fellow of the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Learning and Educational Development at the University of Melbourne. He is one of Australia's most in-demand speaker to parents and teachers and works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally. He has acted as scientific consultant to the ABC and as a consultant in the setup of national strategies to prevent suicide, drug abuse, and bullying in young people. Andrew is a founding member of Resilient Youth Australia, a not for profit which conducts an extensive annual survey of young people on issues of concern and resilience. He is author of a number of books including the internationally acclaimed book, Tricky Kids.