POSTPONED - Communicating with Your Teenager: A Crash Course for Parents

Due to Hurricane Ike, this workshop has been postponed until Spring 2009.

Why do parents and teens so often struggle to understand each other? The wisdom parents earned during their own adolescence is inherently tough to communicate to a new generation. Today’s teenagers negotiate a world that is often quite different—in social, economic, political, cultural, educational and sexual terms—from that of their parents' adolescence. How can we open lines of communication that have been shut down and strengthen those that are already strong?

In this workshop, we will explore the challenges and joys of raising a teenager, using discussion, experiential and writing exercises, and the most current mental health literature on adolescent development. We will examine the dangers of youth stereotypes and come to a clearer understanding of contemporary youth culture. Participants will discover common pitfalls in raising children and will learn about typical and atypical problems in adolescence. We will look for ways to empathize with our children's unique circumstances as they strive to become individuals—and encourage them to empathize with our own ongoing process of discovery and development.

Marcia Laviage, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in working with adolescents and their families, particularly in areas of high-risk adolescent behaviors and eating disorders. She is currently in private practice after having been on faculty at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital where she helped create a health psychology program devoted to adolescents with chronic medical conditions.

David Moore, LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice working with adolescents, young adults, and families through individual therapy and interactive groups. He has over fifteen years of experience with young people, including work at Ben Taub General Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Serve Houston Youth Corps, and private consulting in a variety of settings.

Check back for the new workshop date and for more information.