How Dr. Lisa Damour Helps Adults Understand (And Appreciate!) Teens
Lessons from America's Teen Whisperer
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Hello readers!
Parenting and working with teenagers can be so challenging. That’s why I’m always grateful to find experts who can put things in perspective and provide practical advice. One of the experts I find myself turning to the most is Dr. Lisa Damour, an Ohio-based psychologist and the author of three New York Times bestsellers: Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers (one of my favorite books of 2023).
Some of my friends from Song For Charlie and I met with Lisa during the recent SHAPE America convention in Cleveland, and she and I were the featured speakers at a very successful "Connected Schools" event for Common Sense Media, which you can watch below.
In the rest of the newsletter, I’ll share links to some of Lisa’s recent content that I’ve found most inspiring. I encourage you to follow her on the social media platform of your choice: she’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
— Christopher
Toxic Online Culture: Unpacking the Influence of Social Media, Memes, Gaming (and More)
The online world in which our kids are immersed is a mixed bag. It's full of connections to friends and avenues for learning, as well as wonderful reminders of the world's beauty. But there are also toxic elements that pop up in gaming chat rooms, through viral jokes and memes, and across social media. The ubiquity of these elements, and the fact that they occur in private spaces, means that they’re often undetectable by parents.
In this recorded webinar, we delve into the troublesome side of being online, including racial slurs, body image issues, and misogyny that can affect all kids. Our goal: to help parents understand why these influences have power over kids and offer strategies for opening up conversations that will help kids manage the feelings and pressures they face.
Panel Participants and Moderator:
Dr. Lisa Damour, Psychologist, Bestselling author, New York Times and CBS News contributor
Christopher Pepper, Award-winning health educator, Co-author: Talk To Your Boys (Coming from Workman Publishing in 2025)
Merve Lapus (moderator), Vice President, Education Outreach & Engagement, Common Sense Education
Ask Lisa Podcast: How Do I Talk With My Teen About Fentanyl?
When Lisa Damour posted about this episode of her podcast, she called it the "most important one we have ever recorded." It features an interview with Ed Ternan and Marcia Lee Taylor of Song for Charlie, a national non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
Ed, who tragically lost his 22-year-old son to a counterfeit prescription pill, and Marcia, former President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, cover the basics about fentanyl and offer concrete guidance on how to have effective conversations with teens about its dangers.
I’m on the Content Advisory Board for The New Drug Talk, Song for Charlie’s online resource hub for families. There, we try to answer some key questions parents have, like:
How should parents talk with their teens about this fast-moving crisis?
What can we say to help keep our kids safe?
I’m so glad that Lisa is helping to spread the word about these efforts!
If you listen to this podcast and feel inspired to do more, here’s a great toolkit for publicizing National Fentanyl Awareness Day, which is coming up on May 7th.
Armchair Expert: Lisa Damour
Lisa joined the Armchair Expert podcast to discuss the causes behind the adolescent mental health crisis and the detrimental effects of the pandemic on teenagers. Lisa and hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman also delve into abnormal psychology, the impact of social media on the self-diagnosis of disorders, why expressing emotion is particularly challenging for boys, and the role of distraction in our lives.
Untangling 10 to 20
The latest project from Lisa Damour, "Untangling 10 to 20," is a membership site that provides unlimited access to just-in-time advice and research-backed guidance for parents, caregivers, educators, and teens. The content is searchable by topic and includes:
A constantly expanding library of Dr. Damour’s short "Dear Teenagers" videos, in which she talks directly to adolescents about the common challenges they face. "Dear Teenagers" videos can be shown to teens, watched with teens, or used for guidance on how to talk with teens about a range of topics.
An ever-growing collection of "Untangling Family Life" videos featuring Dr. Damour’s most requested talks for parents, caregivers, and educators – new videos are added monthly!
Access to "Knot to Worry" – Dr. Damour’s articles about raising tweens and teens.
A subscription to Dr. Damour’s weekly newsletter and invitations to live virtual events.
Recent Teen Health Today Highlights
Is Teen Body Odor Really "Goatlike"?
Eight fascinating stories on teen unhappiness, banning book bans, the return of measles, why teachers need trauma-informed care, and more.
How To Talk To Boys So They Grow Into Better Men
Many boys are struggling right now. Here are some concrete ideas for helping them become caring, emotionally engaged men.Book Bans and Classroom Controversies - How To Fight Back
Schools around the U.S. are facing book bans, curriculum challenges, and threats. What lessons can we learn from the battles over sex ed?
How Driver’s Ed Can Inspire the Way We Teach Consent
A new look at consent education, plus seven "must read" stories on STI prevention, friendships, feminism, and over-the-counter birth control pills
In My Wildest Dreams
What it looks like when a community recognizes it has a substance use problem and goes all in on evidence-based education.͏ ͏ ͏
Thank you for reading! A special thank you to those of you supporting Teen Health Today with a paid subscription on Substack. Your generosity is the sole reason I’m able to devote so much time to this project.
- Christopher
P.S.: Another way to support Teen Health Today is by purchasing books through our page on Bookshop.org, where we feature many of the books discussed in this newsletter.
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