“Dr. Kline offers practical, research-based tools that build the trust and respect that teenagers crave and allow growing families to thrive. My only regret in reading this book is that I didn’t have it when my own kids were teenagers”

Robert Waldinger, MD, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness

Want to have better relationships with the teens and young adults in your life? Backed by research, this practical, engaging guide by a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist will help you connect and communicate.

A great relationship is founded on mutual respect and understanding–especially as young people grow into independence and relate to their parents in a new way. Learn how to connect with your young adult children in this practical guide using techniques that focus on not on inducing compliance but rather on respecting their thoughts and understanding their motivations.

A five-step program based on Motivational Interviewing gives parents simple take-aways to have conversations about any topic, whether it is curfews, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, or college applications. Each chapter includes sample scripts and concludes with practical takeaways to get parents started immediately on having better conversations—and more rewarding relationships—with their young adults.

Emily Kline, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and writer in Boston. She grew up in Pittsburgh and worked for Jewish Residential Services in Squirrel Hill and in psychiatry research at the University of Pittsburgh. She then went on to graduate degrees at the University of Maryland, fellowships at Harvard Medical School, and faculty appointments at Harvard and Boston University. She is the recipient of a career development award from the National Institute of Mental Health. She has published dozens of articles appearing in a range of peer-reviewed scholarly journals, textbooks, and popular magazines, and she has spoken with audiences all over the world about mental health and interpersonal communication.