A New Theory of Teenagers with Dr. Christa Santangelo
Today’s episode of the Parent Footprint podcast with Dr. Dan will help families thrive in the midst of the tumultuous teen years. Guest Dr. Christa Santangelo is an author, a psychologist and an assistant clinical professor at the University of California-San Francisco and her new book will transform every family. In her decades of work, Dr. Santangelo has witnessed many relationships devastated by the emotional hurricane that teenagers can inflict on a family. Dr. Santangelo talks to Dr. Dan about ways to resolve teen-parent conflict and gives us all a new way to parent teens.
Dr. Dan (a loving Dad to teens himself) emphasizes how parents must focus on their own emotions and triggers before they can successfully parent their teens. In her book A New Theory of Teenagers and on today’s episode, Dr. Santangelo shares with parents the advice, tips, support, and big-picture overview they need to see the teen years as an opportunity for growth and for positive relationship changes.
Dr. Dan and Dr. Santangelo agree that integrating conventional psychology with alternative methods (such as yoga and meditation and deep breathing) will help a parent approach the relationship with solid footing and then they can work with their teen on building trust and understanding emotions. If parents bring a mindful and positive and non-reactive approach to their teens, the experience will be positive for each individual. Listeners will learn a lot from today’s show including:
The importance of being in touch with our own emotions.
Parent Time-Outs!
Trust and Mistrust (give your teen room to explore and then lower your expectations!)
The role non-verbal communications plays in your teen parenting
How parenting a teen is an inward journey of growth and change for the parent.
And more
The show ends with a powerful Parent Footprint Moment — Dr. Santangelo reveals how one day in the emergency room with her daughter she was forced to reframe her own feelings of helplessness as a Mom and use that experience to reset her parenting expectations in a positive way.
Christa Santangelo, Ph.D is a clinical psychologist in private practice and on faculty at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Santangelo has been in practice for twenty years and during that time has utilized approaches to change, which include short-term solution-focused work, cognitive-behavioral strategies, analytic, mindfulness-based and others. She was trained at Yale University and holds advanced training in yoga/meditation and using mind-body approaches to healing. For more information visit: ChristaSantangelo.com.