It’s often said that communication is the key to a healthy relationship. While it might sound like tired advice, it’s a skill worth learning that will help us do better in all our relationships. As your child grows up, the way you communicate with them will need to change to reflect the new boundaries in your relationship created by their increasing independence. Discovering these new and different approaches to communicating effectively with one another will be a learning experience for you both. Effective communication with your teenager can help you both feel happier and more connected in your relationship, and more confident about having difficult conversations and resolving conflicts.

Psychologist Clare Rowe gives us some tips on creating quality and effective conversations that can help your teenager to open up about their feelings. 

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Read our fact sheet about effective communication

Read these tips to start positive and constructive conversations with your teenager