Synopses & Reviews
In Relationship Skills 101 for Teens, Sheri Van Dijkauthor of Dont Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teensoffers powerful tools based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you regulate your emotions so you can build better relationships with your parents, friends, and peers.
Do you ever feel like your emotions are out of your control? Is it hard for you to make friends, get a date, or get along with your parents? You arent alone. For some people, good relationships seem to come easily. But if you are like many others, you may need a little help. This book offers evidence-based strategies you can use to take control of your emotions and reactions in order to respond effectively to peer pressure, bullying, cyberbullying, and gossip, allowing you to navigate the many social issues that make these years so challenging.
This book outlines three core skills to help you manage your emotions and create better relationships. First, youll discover how mindfulness can help you face each life experience with awareness and acceptance. Second, youll find more effective ways of communicating with others so you can develop healthier, more balanced relationships. Finally, youll learn powerful skills to regulate your emotions so you dont end up taking things out on the people you care about. With these combined skills, you’ll learn how to act in healthier ways so you don’t end up pushing people away.
Like most teens, you want to make and keep friends. You also want to date! And youd probably like to have a good relationship with your parents. This book will give you the skills to reach these goals and live a happier, more fulfilling lifewell beyond your teen years. Why not get started now?
Review
“Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens examines many areas that teenagers (and subsequently parents) struggle with. Sheri Van Dijk offers tangible tools to deal with emotional upheaval, volatile emotions and difficult relationships. The exercises that Van Dijk includes in each chapter will assist teens by offering them options for coping with their emotions. Having raised three teenagers, I strongly believe these skills should be taught in schools as part of the curriculum!”
—Kathy Christie, ADR, mental health case manager at York Support Services Network in Newmarket, ON, Canada
Review
“Van Dijk has written a workbook that any teen struggling with emotions will find very helpful. Using clear and concise language, this workbook offers awareness-enhancing exercises and practical help for recognizing, sorting out, and changing the way painful emotions can be handled. I found this book useful and easy to read, and I will recommend it to my teenage patients.”
—Mark R. Katz, MD, FRCOP(C), staff psychiatrist at the Southlake Regional Health Centre and assistant professor at the University of Toronto in Canada
Review
“I highly recommend this well-written, user-friendly workbook written especially for teens. It provides easy to use tools for harnessing unruly emotions and calming uncontrolled thinking. By following the suggestions in this workbook, teens will feel more capable of controlling their mood, have more harmonious relationships, gain confidence, and live happier lives.”
—Linda Jeffery, RN, cognitive behavior therapist in private practice in Newmarket, Ontario
Review
This is not a bookit is a life raft, a survival kit, and a refuge. Mark C. Purcell and Jason R. Murphy have offered us the most precious gifts possible: tools for finding inner freedom and meditation techniques that will surely lead to a greater sense of happiness and well-being.
Mindfulness for Teen Anger is the book I needed as a confused youth sitting in juvenile hall trying to figure out how to save my own life with meditation.”
Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, Against the Stream, Heart of the Revolution, and Refuge Recovery
Review
At last, a nonjudgmental and systematic approach for dealing with anger! This comprehensive and wise workbook offers an array of practical tools and meditations to help understand, work with, and transform our anger. Its geared to teens but truly useful for any age.”
Diana Winston, director of mindfulness education, UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, and author of Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness
Review
This book fills an important gap in the treatment landscape for teens. Many teens have difficulties managing anger and its attendant urges and behaviors, but not everyone has access to the relief that mindfulness and other DBT skills can bring. The idea of an instant help book for teens is a perfect format for todays fast-paced world, and Murphy and Purcell have helpfully broken up complex concepts into easily digestible chunks for any teenager who is even slightly open to decreasing their anger and aggression. Highly recommended.”
Esme A.L. Shaller, PhD, director of the dialectical behavior therapy program at University of California, San Francisco, and assistant clinical professor at University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley
Review
Mindfulness for Teen Anger is an important book to help one live better with anger. Through down-to-earth stories and practical exercises and skills, one can learn to transform anger into deeper understanding and peace. This book will be highly recommended to any teen living with anger and hostility who wants to get at its root cause to live a freer and happier life.”
Bob Stahl, PhD, coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Living with Your Heart Wide Open, Calming the Rush of Panic, and A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook for Anxiety
Review
This is a great book. Anger is a normal part of growing up, but everyone can master skills to cope with such a stressful emotion. This book helps readers understand anger and how to master it. The simple exercises coach teens to develop healthy emotional coping skills. This book is a fabulous resource.”
Kellen Glinder, MD, pediatrician and department chair at the Palo Alto office of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Review
Mindfulness for Teen Anger is one of the most comprehensive approaches to adolescent anger I have found. It not only provides practical tools to help teens understand and manage their anger, but goes deeper to help them develop emotional resilience. Using real-life examples and an engaging style, this book teaches teens how to improve their emotional control with strategies ranging from trusting your wise mind and thinking cool thoughts, to practicing guided meditations and assertive communication. This book is so much more than just an anger management workbook; it is an instruction manual for social and emotional health.”
Holly Pedersen, PhD, MFT, director of community education and the bullying prevention program at Jewish Children and Family Services in Palo Alto, CA
Review
Mindfulness for Teen Anger is the kind of book I would recommend because it is truly directed at a teen. It talks
to you, not at you like so many other teen workbooks. In addition, it gives information and ideas, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about their actions, reactions, thoughts, and feelings. It is a versatile bookone that could be read and used by teens alone, one that could help parents, one a therapist could use with a teen, one a teacher could use with a class, and the list goes on.”
Susan M. Howe, LMFT, licensed marriage and family therapist and director of transitional age youth services at Edgewood Center for Children and Families
Review
After reviewing this book I was very excited about the potential it has to help children cope with and regulate their emotions. It provides a very good source workbook for any teen trying to understand and work through anger issues. The key to controlling anger is in our thinking. The approach in this book helps teens [cultivate] mindfulness, which allows them to pay attention to the present and observe and understand their thoughts and feelings. This awakens them to their experiences in a very pragmatic way. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in helping a teenager cope with anger and aggression. It is practical and understandable, and will provide direct assistance to teens in establishing the thought control necessary to change their behavior."
Joseph J. Cozzo MA, MS, LMHC, president and CEO at Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center
Review
If, like all teens, you sometimes feel anxious, or if, like many teens, you suffer from intense anxiety, reading a few pages in this book will help you feel calmer. Every chapter is like a reassuring talk with a good friend. This book gives you real, practical, simple skills for easing anxiety, being more relaxed and kinder to yourself, and ultimately living a happier life.”
Amy Saltzman, MD, author of A Still Quiet Place
Review
Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety provides powerful and practical tools for teens facing everyday challenges in social, academic, or sports settings. The practices and insights are useful for all teensand adults too! I highly recommend this book.”
Jessica Morey, executive director and lead teacher at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, a national nonprofit that leads mindfulness retreats and school programs for teenagers across the country
Review
Sheri Van Dijk has managed to successfully simplify and extend the principles of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into a concise, user-friendly format. While highlighting the interplay of one's sense of self and their roles in relationships, the reader is given clear examples and skills to successfully manage their emotions and improve communication. Although the intended audience is adolescents, this book is a valuable resource for parents and anyone working with teenagers.”
Leanne Garfinkel, MA, clinical psychologist and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-informed therapist
Review
In this book, Sheri Van Dijk has produced a user-friendly and easy-to-understand workbook for teens struggling with relationships. The skills for healthy relationships are explained and examples given by following several teens experiencing problems. The exercises to practice the skills are presented in a way that is simple and straightforward. I will definitely recommend it to my clients.”
Marilyn Becker MSW, RSW, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills therapist in private practice in Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
Review
Sheri Van Dijk has done it again! As the author of several books, she continues to inspire transformation by encouraging mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion. In this book intended to help teenagers with relationship skills, she explains dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in a well-thought-out, easy-to-read manner with lots of examples. I wish I had known these skills when I was a teenager! As a therapist for over twelve years, I would also recommend this book as a valuable resource to therapists, parents, and others who support teenagers.”
Rennet Wong-Gates MSW, RSW, child and family therapist
Review
Relationships are complicated, and for many teens, the source of much distress. In this very clear and user-friendly workbook, Sheri Van Dijk shares the key components for the development and enhancement of teens self-awareness, emotional self-management, and self-esteemall of which positively impact the success of their relationships and connections to others. I found this workbook easy to read, and view it as a valuable resource for my teenage clients, as well as their parents.”
Pat Counter, BA, DipCS, RSW, social worker in the Disruptive Behaviours Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre
Review
After thirty years of clinical practice, I have finally found a book that helps teens to identify their feelings and learn practical skills for changing behaviors. Sheri Van Dijk offers examples that help readers truly relate to the concepts she teaches. This easy-to-read guide on improving interpersonal relationships is a necessity for any teen that wishes to lead a happier, healthier life. I will definitely recommend it to my clients.”
Francine Mendelowitz, LCSW, psychotherapist and founder of InterACT New York
Review
“This book takes a clear, honest look at how your phobia is getting in the way of how you want to live your life. It offers supportive, sound advice on how to face your fears step-by-step, and gives readers the tools they need to overcome fears and phobias.”
—Jennifer Shannon, MFT, clinical director at the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and author of The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens
Review
Andrea Umbachs terrific book takes the research-proven strategies of cognitive behavioral therapy and puts them at your fingertips. Easy-to-use forms and worksheets walk the reader, step-by-step, through the strategies for preparing and implementing an effective antiphobia action plan. I recommend this book for any young person with fears and phobias that get in the way of their life.”
Jonathan S. Abramowitz, PhD, clinical psychologist and president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and author of Getting Over OCD
Review
Andrea Umbach has successfully crafted a guide to help teens address their anxiety. Based on cognitive behavioral principles, readers will undoubtedly benefit from the clearly described, pragmatic, and well-supported strategies contained within. There is no question that many young people will greatly benefit from reading this engaging text.”
Eric A. Storch, PhD, professor and All Childrens Hospital Guild Endowed Chair at the University of South Florida
Review
In
Conquer Your Fears and Phobias for Teens, Andrea Umbach provides teens like yourself with a step-by-step guide for self-directed treatment for a wide range of anxiety-related problems. Shell walk you through the essential components of CBT, including exposure therapy, as well as thinking-related exercises that have also been proven effective. You may find that if you stick with the exercises in this book, you will reduce your anxiety and improve your quality of life. Of course, if you need professional help, you should absolutely get it. But even in that case,
Conquer Your Fears and Phobias for Teens can be a great starting point and serve as a basis for your work with a therapist.”
David F. Tolin, PhD, ABPP, director at the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living, adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and author of Face Your Fears
If you are a teenager wanting a straightforward way to challenge your anxietythis book is for you. If you want to understand why your teen feels the way they feelthis book is for you. If [you are a professional who] treats teens with anxiety and want a guide to using cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response preventionthis book is for you. Read it, do the exercises, and watch your anxiety take a back seat in your life.”
Patrick B. McGrath, PhD, clinical director at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospitals Center for Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Anxiety is all-around no fun. But backing away as comfort doesnt work much better. If you want help moving forward [from anxiety], this is your go-to guide. Youll be surprised at how quickly you can put fears and phobias in your rearview mirror as you drive toward your next adventure.”
Reid Wilson, PhD, coauthor of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents and Playing with Anxiety
Review
Reading this book is like having your own therapist for fears and phobias. It is crammed with information and lots of how-tos, and manages to avoid the pitfalls of cookbook, manualized approaches. Most readers with fears and phobias will want to read sections over and over again, since there is too much information to absorb in one reading. Parents and therapists should find it a useful resource tool. This is a comprehensive, cutting-edge, third-wave, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to [dealing with] fears and phobias, written in a style that will appeal to teenagers (for example, every quotation is from a contemporary character who should be well known by the target audience). I wish I had a resource like this when I was in my teens, struggling with my own anxieties.”
Martin N. Seif, PhD, ABPP, clinical psychologist, founder of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, associate director of the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital, faculty member at New York Presbyterian Hospital, and coauthor of What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders
Review
Being afraid is part of the human condition, but when fear is overwhelming, life can be miserable. All of us, teens and adults, must learn to understand and manage our fears in order to lead happy and productive lives.
Conquer Your Fears and Phobias for Teens is an essential guide to doing so. It provides a step-by-step program for recognizing, understanding, and controlling fears of all kinds. This long overdue book will provide much relief to teens and family members living with intense fears.”
Randy O. Frost, PhD, author and coauthor of several books on hoarding, including Buried in Treasures, Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, The Oxford Handbook of Hoarding and Acquiring, and more
Review
The efficacy of Andrea Umbachs book comes in her ability to relate to teens on their level. For each clinical topic, she offers relatable examples in which teens will recognize themselves and their peers, thus dodging the eye roll and earning her way into their trust. From there, the exercises are easy, clear, and effective! Teens with fear, help is here.”
Michelle Icard, author of Middle School Makeover
Review
Conquering Your Fears and Phobias for Teens is an engaging and practical guide for teens to overcome their fears. It is packed with clear, concise, and effective examples and exercises for teens, which will teach them invaluable life skills, helping them to think more flexibly, face their fears, and manage their anxiety more effectively. And it even cleverly addresses teens common struggle with motivation and willingness. This reader-friendly workbook is the perfect fear-busting companion for teens and their parents and the therapists who wish to help them.”
Marla W. Deibler, PsyD, clinical psychologist, founder and executive director of the Center for Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, and a nationally recognized expert in anxiety, obsessive compulsive, and related disorders, with appearances on The Dr. Oz Show, A&Es Hoarders, CBS News, ABC News, and FOX News
Review
An easy-to-read manual for adolescents dealing with anger problems. There is a great need for a self-help book like this for dealing with anger. A practical and accessible guide.”
Omid J. Naim, MD, adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist at Hope Integrative Psychiatry
Review
This is an immensely useful resource for both psychotherapists and clients. [Purcell and Murphy's] book provides an excellent explication of cutting-edge knowledge of the mindfulness approach and its value for effective treatment of adolescent issues. We in the mental health profession will be grateful beneficiaries in years to come.”
Benjamin R. Tong, PhD, professor of clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies
Synopsis
Let's face it: life gives you plenty of reasons to get angry, sad, scared, and frustrated-and those feelings are okay. But sometimes it can feel like your emotions are taking over, spinning out of control with a mind of their own. To make matters worse, these overwhelming emotions might be interfering with school, causing trouble in your relationships, and preventing you from living a happier life.
Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens is a workbook that can help. In this book, you'll find new ways of managing your feelings so that you'll be ready to handle anything life sends your way. Based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of therapy designed to help people who have a hard time handling their intense emotions, this workbook helps you learn the skills you need to ride the ups and downs of life with grace and confidence.
This book offers easy techniques to help you:
- Stay calm and mindful in difficult situations
- Effectively manage out-of-control emotions
- Reduce the pain of intense emotions
- Get along with family and friends
Synopsis
Dont Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens presents a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) workbook to help teens manage difficult emotions and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Teens with depression, anxiety, anger, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder will learn to take charge of their own feelings and start feeling calmer and more stable. Skills learned include mindfulness, emotion regulation, crisis management, and interpersonal relationship techniques. Based on the bestselling workbook Dont Let Your Emotions Run Your Life, this guide will help teen readers get along with family and friends, and cope with the highs and lows of adolescence in healthy and productive ways.
Synopsis
Being a teen in todays world is hard, and often teens struggle with feelings of anger toward themselves, their parents, and their friends. Using proven effective mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT),
Mindfulness for Teen Anger teaches teens the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of anger. Inside, teens will learn to make better choices, stop overreacting, find emotional balance, and be more aware of their thoughts and feelings in the moment. By cultivating compassion and understanding for themselves and others, teens will be able to transform fear and anger into confidence and
kindness.
Synopsis
Do you ever feel so frustrated with school, friends, parents, and life in general that you lose control of your emotions and lash out? You shouldnt feel ashamed. Being a teen in todays world is hard, but its even harder when youre unable to keep your cool in stressful situations. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make positive changes in your life. Using proven effective mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Mindfulness for Teen Anger will teach you the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms of anger. Inside, youll learn how to make better choices, how to stop overreacting, find emotional balance, and be more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the moment. Youll also learn skills for building positive relationships with peers, friends, and family.
As a teen, the relationship skills you learn now can help you thrive in the future. With a little help, and by cultivating compassion and understanding for yourself and others, you will be able to transform your fear and anger into confidence and kindness.
Synopsis
Its hard enough being a teen without having to worry about panic attacks, chronic worry, and feelings of isolation. In Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety, a psychologist offers teen readers proven-effective, mindfulness-based practices to help them cope with their anxiety, identify common triggers (such as dating or school performance), learn valuable time-management skills, and feel calm at home, at school, and with friends.
Synopsis
Being a teen is hard enough without anxiety getting in the way. You are changing more than ever before, not just physically, but mentally. And if you suffer from panic attacks, chronic worry, and feelings of isolation, it can be very difficult to meet your goals and succeed. The good news is that there are real, powerful ways that you can take control of your anxietyand your life! In Mindfulness for Teen Anxiety, psychologist and learning specialist Christopher Willard offers teens like you proven-effective, mindfulness-based practices to help you cope with your anxiety, identify common triggers (such as dating or school performance), learn valuable time-management skills, and feel more calm at home, at school, and with friends. Youll learn tips for dealing with specific situations that cause anxiety, such as public speaking, social anxiety, test anxiety, and more. Youll also learn special breathing exercises to help calm you in moments of panic, and guided visualization exercises to help you stay cool and collected, even in the tensest situations. If you are ready to move past your anxiety, panic, and worry and start living the life you were meant to live, this book will be your guideevery step of the way.
Synopsis
For anyone with intense fears and phobias, every day can feel like a roller-coaster ride. This is especially true for teens. In this powerful book, a clinical psychologist and anxiety expert presents a proven-effective approach to overcoming fears and phobias using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Teen readers will find practical skills for coping with the thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors that accompany phobias, as well as useful strategies to help them handle the situations that cause fear.
Synopsis
In this powerful book, clinical psychologist and anxiety expert Andrea Umbach presents a proven-effective approach to help teens overcome fears and phobias using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
For anyone with intense fears and phobias, every day can feel like a roller-coaster ride. But if you are a teen, this is especially true. In Conquer Your Fears and Phobias for Teens, you will find practical skills for coping with the thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors that accompany phobias. You'll also discover useful strategies to handle the things and situations that cause you to feel fearful.
This book provides evidence-based help for dealing with a number of phobias, including:
- Animal phobias, such as dogs, cats, snakes, spiders, and more
- Natural environment phobias, such as heights, darkness, water, and storms
- Situational phobias, such as driving, flying, crowded spaces, closed-in spaces, and more
- Blood injection or injury phobias, such as seeing blood or injury, or visiting doctors and dentists
- As well as other phobias, such as vomiting, choking, contracting illness, gaining weight, loud noises, foods, and more
If you are a teen who suffers from phobias, the practical activities in this book will help you break free from the fears that are holding you back. So, what are you waiting for?
Synopsis
In Relationship Skills 101 for Teens, best-selling author of Dont Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens, Sheri Van Dijk offers teens powerful tools to regulate their emotions and create better relationshipswhether its with parents, friends and peers, or dates. Using skills based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), teens will learn to take control of their emotions and reactions in order to respond effectively to peer pressure, bullying, and gossip, and navigate the myriad social issues that make these years so challenging.
Synopsis
The teen years are like an emotional roller coaster, and teens must learn the skills needed to effectively handle their emotions in a positive, constructive way. This is easy-to-read guide is written directly for teens experiencing strong emotions, and offers them four core skills based in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) to help manage their emotional ups and downs. Using evidence-based techniques such as mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, teens will be able to get off the emotional roller coaster for good.
Synopsis
The teen years are an emotional roller coaster. So, how can you make it through? In this important guide, leading dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and teen expert Sheri Van Dijk offers four core skills to help you manage your emotional ups and downs, build great relationships, and thrive!
As a teen, you're experiencing intense changes in your lifeboth physically and mentally. To top it off, you're probably unsure of how to handle your emotions in a positive, constructive way. Surviving the Emotional Roller Coaster offers evidence-based techniques to help you regulate your emotions and find balance in all areas of life whether it's at home, at school, or with friends and peers. By learning to be more aware of your emotions, you'll be able to let difficult feelings pass without reacting to them in destructive ways.
You will also learn the four basic DBT skills to help you manage your emotions: core mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. You'll discover how to apply these skills to help deal with a number of negative emotions, such as low self-esteem, anger, anxiety, depression, and more. By changing the way you react to your emotions and to others, you'll be able to build better relationships and feel more confident as a result.
If youre ready to understand and better manage your feelings, stop acting on impulses, and calm yourself in moments of emotional stress, this book will show you how.
About the Author
Mark C. Purcell, MEd, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with youth and families for the past twenty years. Purcell has developed DBT programs for youth agencies and trains mental health professionals in a variety of settings. He is a professor in the department of psychology at John F. Kennedy University and has a private practice in the San Francisco Peninsula.Jason R. Murphy, MA, is a mindfulness based psychotherapist and meditation teacher who has worked with youth and families for the past twenty years. Murphy has been practicing Vipassana (Insight) meditation since 1994 and is a teacher in that tradition. He is a certified addictions counselor and founder of Mindfulness Recovery Counseling. Murphy has taught mindful awareness in a variety of settings around the United States. Murphy's particular focus has been working with youth and incarcerated men and women addressing issues of stress, anger, and addiction. He is in private practice and leads groups and workshops in Santa Cruz, CA.
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