“Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches teens the skills and strategies they need to feel more in control of their thoughts and behaviors in this helpful installment in the Instant Help Solutions series. Teens will learn to cope with their emotions, reduce stress, and avoid procrastination. The book explains what emotions and feelings are, how they’re amplified in adolescence, and how teens can manage them and learn to change how they feel by changing how they think. The book explains how friendship and peer factors influence the teen brain, provides study tips, and explores meditation and mindfulness, risk-taking, and how to create a sense of personal meaning. Teens are urged to tell their own stories by building purpose and meaning in their lives. “Brain hacks” sidebars are interspersed throughout the book, along with a diagram of the brain. Anecdotal stories and research studies support the information presented. Nebolsine’s respect for young people is evident, and she makes a complex topic very understandable. Teens seeking practical, useful, and reassuring advice will find it in this engaging book.”
—Booklist
~Booklist
“This down-to-earth guide to cognitive behavioral therapy based on adolescent brain development is practical and accessibly written. Developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck as an alternative to traditional methods, CBT focuses on how thoughts influence behaviors. Nebolsine, an experienced CBT practitioner, provides clear interpretations of many research studies that back up her suggestions for changing readers’ attitudes toward their problems, illustrated with anecdotal examples from real teens’ lives. The book opens with simple scientific explanations of the teen brain and its structure and functioning.... The dangers of drinking, drugs, and risky sexual behavior are addressed. Short sections labeled “Brain Hack” offer practical suggestions, supplementing other specific techniques in the main text…. Chapters on stress and meditation and mindfulness will be of general interest, and the last section, on creating a meaningful narrative for one’s life, will also appeal to many. Teens looking for help in understanding their brains and making positive shifts will find this effective.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“If there is a teen in your life, you need this book! Elisa has written a fun, engaging, and eminently practical user’s guide to your brain for adolescents. The ‘brain hacks’ are tried and true cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques based on decades of research, and they can lead to real change!”
—Beth Salcedo, MD, immediate past president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, medical director at The Ross Center, and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
~Beth Salcedo, MD
“Your Amazing Teen Brain is a must-read for teens and the people who know and love them! Elisa provides crucial information for teens about the changes occurring in teen brains during adolescence (spoiler alert: there’s a lot going on!), and she instructs the reader on how to use evidence-based CBT interventions to help manage mood and create meaning.”
—Marci Fox, PhD, psychologist, author of numerous books on CBT, founding fellow and certified supervisor for the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and adjunct faculty at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy
~Marci Fox, PhD
“Your Amazing Teen Brain is invaluable! Nebolsine shares research from the past decade about the adolescent brain, the changes and quirks that occur in the teen years, and makes it understandable and relevant for teens, parents, clinicians, and teachers. This user-friendly book is a wealth of easy-to-understand information and practical interventions that teens will embrace.”
—Amy Wenzel PhD, ABPP, clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, adjunct faculty at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and author/editor of fourteen books and over one hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters
~Amy Wenzel PhD, ABPP
“Your Amazing Teen Brain is a must-read for all teens—and those who live with teens! Elisa Nebolsine writes with clarity and wit, and the result is a powerful, highly engaging resource that gives teens the information they need to understand their emotions and successfully navigate through this pivotal developmental stage. By educating teens about the adolescent brain, Nebolsine empowers them to take charge of their experiences—and she gives them the tools to do this.”
—Sherin Stahl, PhD, faculty in the Yale Child Study Center and department of pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine; also in practice in in Fairfield and Woodbridge, CT
~Sherin Stahl, PhD
“Excellent and much-needed resource for teens! Adolescence is a challenging time, and this text provides a basic overview of what’s going on in the teen brain—from intense emotion to complicated friendships. Elisa explains not only the whys of adolescence, but also provides a map of CBT skills that allow teens to navigate and even succeed during the teen years.”
—Mary K. Alvord, PhD, psychologist, and coauthor of Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens and Resilience Builder Program for Children and Adolescents
~Mary K. Alvord, PhD
“I love this book! I want a copy for every teen and parent of a teen in my practice. CBT, the teen brain, and basic neuroscience? What else do you need? A perfect combination of important facts, strategies, and skills written in a way that appeals to adolescents.”
—Catherine McCarthy, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist in Washington, DC
~Catherine McCarthy, MD
“Your Amazing Teen Brain is a fantastic resource for teenagers trying to understand the incredible changes they are experiencing. It is clear that Elisa ‘gets’ teenagers. Everyone who reads it will benefit in some way from reading it. A true winner!”
—Melissa Grady, PhD, associate professor of social work at Catholic University of America, and coauthor of Moving Beyond Assessment
~Melissa Grady, PhD
