Raising Resilient Teens in an Era of Anxiety with guest Erica Komisar, LCSW

If you’re a parent of tweens or teens, you’ve probably wondered about the difference between “typical” teen angst-that is, normal worries, fears, and struggles associated with adolescence-and when there’s a deeper issue that might require talk therapy (or possibly, medication). Today, psychoanalyst and clinical social worker Erica Komisar joins us to share her experience and knowledge from more than 30 years in private practice. Hear what she has to say about identifying teens’ challenges and struggles, when to seek outside help, how to provide support at home, and the best circumstances to have deeper conversations with your teen. Listen as Dr. Amy, Teri, and Erica discuss everything from boundaries and flexibility to brain development and how parents can serve as the emotional regulators for their teens as they navigate the transition to adulthood.
About Erica:
Erica Komisar is a clinical social worker, psychoanalyst, and parent guidance expert who has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. A graduate of Georgetown and Columbia universities and the New York Freudian Society, she is a psychological consultant bringing parenting workshops to clinics, schools, corporations, and childcare settings. She is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and the New York Daily News. She is also a contributing editor to the Institute for Family Studies and appears regular on Fox and Friends and Fox 5 News. Erica is the author of “Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters” and “Chicken Little the Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety.” Find her at www.ericakomisar.com
About The Brainy Moms Podcast Hosts:
Dr. Amy Moore is a cognitive psychologist at LearningRx in Colorado Springs, CO at the headquarters of the largest network of cognitive training centers in the world. She specializes in cognitive training and cognition assessment for neurodevelopmental disorders, brain injury, learning disabilities, and age-related cognitive decline. Her ground-breaking brain training and assessment research has been published in peer reviewed medical and psychology journals and presented at conferences around the country. She has been a child development specialist, education administrator, and teacher of teachers with a PhD in psychology and a master’s degree in early childhood education. Dr. Amy has been working with struggling learners for 25+ years in public, private, and government organizations, so she knows a little about thinking and learning. She is also Editor-in-Chief of Modern Brain Journal, a TEDx Speaker, and a licensed pastor and a board-certified Christian counselor.
Dr. Amy is married to Jeff Moore, a retired Air Force fighter pilot now working as a surgical nurse. They have three incredible sons (ages 18, 22, and 24) and a very mischievous but soft Siberian cat. Originally from South Carolina, Dr. Amy has called Colorado home since 2006. You can find her at www.AmyMoorePhD.com and view her research at www.LearningRx.com/research.
Teri is connecting with you from way up in the mountains of Woodland Park, CO. She grew up in Austin, TX where she spent several years performing with the company Ballet Austin. After college, she pursued the ever-elusive dream of music/dance/stage performance in Nashville, TN where she fell in love and got married. Two and half decades later, she’s the mom to 9 kids and married to entrepreneurial businessman, author, and podcaster, Kevin Miller. Teri has a Masters of Science in Psychology and is slowly pursuing a PhD in cognitive science. She spent 7 years as a Research Associate at Gibson Institute of Cognitive Research with Dr. Amy conducting cognitive training and assessment research and is now the Center Director of LearningRx Colorado Springs where she helps kids and adults conquer their learning struggles through brain training.
Find us at www.TheBrainyMoms.com
Find our sponsor www.LeanringRx.com

[@rosemarydelprado6939]

Great interview! Thank you so much. The information is so valuable to me as the parent of an adolescent, and as a provider of educational services, including PACE.

[@JJtvee]

Great conversation. Please give examples of too strict and too permissive please.