Teens Actually Do Want Attention from Parents

Dr. Martha Straus, Professor and Core Faculty in the Clinical Psychology program at AUNE, had an article, Craving Device-Free Attention – Technoconflicts in Families Today, published in the July/August 2019 issue of Psychotherapy Networker. Dr. Straus writes in the article, “In the past few months, I’ve realized that nearly all my teenage girl clients are complaining, more or less full throttle, about their parents. Of course, that’s an age-old staple of therapy with adolescents—but this is different. These days, they’re urgently wanting (and in many cases, demanding) more undivided attention from their parents than they’re getting. These girls crave sustained, fortifying involvement with adults.”