Transcript STAGE: a new approach to supporting parents of teenagers

John Coleman
Too little thinking about how to link
current research with parenting
interventions
 Not enough attention paid generally to
what constitutes effective parenting of
teenagers
 Too little thinking about how to educate
the public generally about adolescence.
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Four challenges
 Parenting interventions –
 Do they link with current
knowledge about adolescent
development?
Have our parenting
interventions kept pace
with social change?
Is there enough emphasis
on developmental change
in parenting interventions?
 How can we describe the
principles of effective
parenting so that they are
easy to grasp?
The STAGE framework
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Two underlying principles:
 To emphasise that the teenage years
are a process, a time of change, a
stage in development
 To create a framework that is easy to
grasp, and easy to remember.
S TAGE
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the significance of parents
two-way communication
the nature of authority
the generation gap
emotion
In parent groups communication seems
to be at the heart of things
 Why does communication break down?
 Teenagers do want to talk
 BUT in a way that feels safe to them
 When they are not being pumped for
information, nagged or interrogated.
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Is STAGE relevant to
troubled families?
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Communication is central
Boundaries and structure need to be in place
The exercise of appropriate authority is key
The management of difficult emotions is
another central goal
Finally interventions aim to restore parental
self-confidence. STAGE is good for that.
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We badly need more thinking, and discussion,
about parenting for adolescents
We need better linkage between research
and practice
We need to identify, and share, the principles
of effective parenting.
THERE IS A LOT TO DO!
Thank you.
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