just listen

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Having an open, communicative, connected relationship with your teen is awesome…but pretty difficult to achieve. Teens don’t exactly make it easy to get close to them–when we try to have heart-to-hearts, they usually just roll their eyes. Plus, it’s hard to spend quality time together when they disappear to their rooms for hours at a time! Being vulnerable with teens can be an incredible way to bond with them and prep them with life advice for the world ahead, if we could only get them to listen.

To make things more complicated, having these conversations is usually a two-part process. Even when we’ve got kids to open up, it’s another challenge altogether to know what to say! When teens tell us about what’s going on with them, we don’t want to shut them down or make them feel worse. We want to give them advice that will help them become their best selves. Although this might feel like an impossible task, we’re giving you some tips this week to help you get there.

Our guest today is Mark Goulston, renowned psychologist and author of many books, including the popular Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior and Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone. Mark’s experiences working with patients and talking to parents all over the world has left him with some powerful notions about making an impact on teens. 

In our interview, we’re covering the importance of opening up to teens, how you can create a safe space for teens to be vulnerable, and how we can move forward to a promising future with kids instead of dwelling on our past mistakes.

Click for full show notes, exercises, and parenting scripts from this episode

My brother did not commit suicide.  He did contemplate it.  

I want to share with you the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline in the U.S. It is 800-273-8255. 

There are international numbers/resources also available, and can be easily found through an online search.   www.opencounseling.com is one place to find them.  

Alan Lazaros is co-host of The Hyper Conscious Podcast, is an accomplished professional speaker and performance coach. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute as an engineer. He worked hard and played hard and found himself in a negative habit loop with dependence on alcohol. Alan grew up without a father because his father, who was 28 years old at the time, was killed in a car accident.

Some say history repeats itself and Alan found himself in a major car accident at age 26. It was this rock bottom moment that Alan recognized as his opportunity to turn his life around.

In this episode of Rock Bottom Syndicate Alan gets vulnerable about his feelings of growing up without a father and shares his pain with me.

This is what Rock Bottom Syndicate is all about. It's an opportunity to tell your story and share it with another person to lessen the pain and feel connected.

Rock Bottom Syndicate is about people who have a story to tell to inspire others to consistently, persistently pursue their potential. Rock Bottom is an opportunity to learn, change course and tell your story to help others and help yourself. Your secrets are the prison of your emotions.

Ask for help. Tell your story. Reach out to Joyce Strong at @rockbottomsyndicate on IG and @rockbottonsyn on Twitter.

I appreciate any support for my work and community. You can support my work by making a donation to me by Paypal. 💪 ❤ @ https://lnkd.in/eGqGR6z

Please feel free to reach out anytime and get me direct on LinkedIn / WhatsApp / FB / IG / Twitter & phone + 1 617-666-1122 @totalwellcoach

You can find Joyce Strong at www.TotalWellCoach.com

Originally aired on www.TheGrotonChannel.org

Dr. Mark Goulston (@MarkGoulston) is a prominent psychiatrist and consultant to major organizations. His book, Just Listen, ranked #1 in six Amazon/Kindle categories, has been translated into 14 languages, reached #1 in Munich and Shanghai, and became the basis of a 2010 PBS special.

The Consumers Research Council three times named him one of America's Top Psychiatrists. For over 20 years, he has been Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute.

Goulston has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, and hosted a PBS pledge drive special.

He blogs for the Huffington Post, Psychology Today, Fast Company, and Business Insider, contributes to the Harvard Business Review and writes a syndicated column for "Biz Journals." He lives with his wife in Los Angeles.

Visit Dr. Goulston at https://MarkGoulston.com and watch his documentary at https://StayAliveVideo.com.