Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam

Episode

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  How to Rebuild Trust with Your Teen 21.07.2026 43mnt

  Struggling with teen defiance, shut-downs, or constant arguments? You’re not alone—and the problem might not be what you think. In this episode, Dr. Cam interviews certified parent coach and bestselling author JoAnn Crohn to reveal why well-intentioned parents accidentally push teens away while trying to help them succeed. The core issue: over-parenting driven by fear and anxiety. Parents often impose excessive rules, constant monitoring, and unsolicited advice—behaviors that erode trust rather than build it. Teens respond by withdrawing, hiding their true selves, and avoiding coming to parents for genuine guidance.
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  How to Tell If Your Teen Has Real Anxiety or Normal Nervousness 14.07.2026 37mnt

  If your teenager avoids challenges, shuts down under pressure, procrastinates, or melts down over small setbacks, you’re not alone. What looks like laziness or drama is often anxiety or avoidance—and the way most parents respond can actually make it worse. In this episode, Dr. Cam interviews Dana Colthart, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in OCD, anxiety, panic disorders, and eating disorders. Together, they explore how anxiety hides in plain sight and reveal the biggest parenting trap: accommodation and reassurance that strengthen your teen’s fear response.
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  Talking With Teens About Sex (Without Making It Weird) 07.07.2026 48mnt

  Many parents dread conversations about sex with their teenagers, but avoiding these discussions leaves teens vulnerable to misinformation from peers and pornography. In this episode, sexuality educator Amy Lang reveals how to approach sex talks as preparation rather than prevention—a crucial mindset shift that removes shame and builds trust. The core message: Your teen needs factual information about healthy relationships, consent, pleasure, and safety. Rather than warning them away from sex, help them understand what healthy sexuality looks like so they make informed decisions.
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  How to Get Teens Off Their Phones and Reignite Curiosity 30.06.2026 23mnt

  Struggling to compete with your teen’s screen time? You’re not alone. In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, award-winning children’s book author and youth motivational speaker Ty Allan Jackson reveals how to spark curiosity, rebuild connection, and help teens discover life beyond screens—without demonizing technology. The core insight: phones aren’t the enemy; they’re a mirror of our culture. Rather than pitting screens against books, relationships, and real-world experiences, successful parents use an ”and” strategy, not an ”or” approach. Jackson emphasizes that the real competition isn’t against devices—it’s about building strong relationships that make teens want to engage with their parents and the world around them.
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  Co-Parenting with a Narcissist: Expert Strategies to Protect Your Children and Your Sanity 30.06.2026 33mnt

  Co-parenting with a narcissistic partner presents unique challenges that go far beyond typical parenting disagreements. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Kibby McMahon reveals evidence-based strategies for navigating this complex dynamic while prioritizing your children’s wellbeing. The core issue: narcissists operate from a ”disorder of specialness,” believing they’re inherently superior and requiring constant validation. This manifests as one-upmanship, power struggles, and a fundamental inability to collaborate—even when children’s needs are at stake. Dr. McMahon introduces Gray Rock, a proven technique where you become as boring and unresponsive as a gray rock, eliminating the narcissist’s ability to provoke reactive behavior. She emphasizes that you cannot win a competition with a narcissistic co-parent; stepping out of the ”boxing ring” entirely is the only winning move.
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  How to Support a Grieving Teen While You're Still Grieving 29.06.2026 34mnt

  Grief in teenagers rarely looks the way parents expect, often masquerading as typical adolescent behavior—irritability, withdrawal, and emotional volatility. In this transformative conversation with grief expert and master certified life coach Krista St. Germain, parents learn that grief extends far beyond bereavement. It encompasses the loss of a parent, friend, or pet, plus developmental losses like the transition from childhood to adolescence that parents themselves experience. The outdated five-stage grief model has given way to the dual process model, which emphasizes healthy oscillation between confronting loss and finding restoration. This framework helps parents understand that healing happens through intentional balance, not linear progression toward ”acceptance.” Critically, grief affects the entire body—not just emotions. Brain fog, hormonal changes, immune system dips, and physical fatigue are normal neurological responses as the brain relearns where loved ones fit in our lives. Parents often inadvertently shut down their teens’ grief by attempting to fix it, offering false comfort (”everything happens for a reason”), or pressuring premature processing. Instead, modeling healthy emotional expression, normalizing grief as a natural human response, and providing presence without judgment creates safety. The most powerful parental strategy: believing in your teen’s resilience. When teens sense parental doubt about their ability to survive grief, they internalize that doubt. Conversely, demonstrating faith in their capability—while sitting alongside them in pain—builds confidence to navigate life’s hardships and opens doors to post-traumatic growth.
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  How Parents Are Accidentally Damaging Their Teen's Mental Health 09.06.2026 38mnt

  Are today’s teens experiencing a true mental health crisis—or are parents being encouraged to label normal adolescent struggles as disorders? In this thought-provoking episode of the Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam Podcast, adolescent psychologist sits down with renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist , author of Searching for Normal, to unpack the rising diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism in teens. Parents today are overwhelmed trying to determine when teenage mood swings, defiance, anxiety, and emotional outbursts are “normal” and when they signal something more serious. Dr. Timimi challenges the growing trend of pathologizing ordinary adolescent behavior and explains why over-labeling teens may actually hurt resilience, confidence, and emotional growth. If you’re worried about your teen’s mental health, struggling with constant conflict, or wondering whether therapy, medication, or diagnosis is the right next step, this episode offers a refreshing and deeply practical perspective. Learn how to support your teen without overreacting, how to identify true mental health red flags, and why strengthening your relationship with your teen may be more powerful than trying to “fix” them.
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  The Real Reason Your Teen Pushes You Away — And Why It Has Nothing to Do With You 02.06.2026 36mnt

  Parenting Teens Without Losing Your Mind — Or Your Relationship If parenting your teenager feels like survival mode, you’re not alone — but it doesn’t have to stay that way. In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, child psychologist Dr. Cam sits down with Aliyah Singh, Hannah Ticajo, and Caitlin Severin — the founders of Cultivate Teen Roots — to reframe what the teen years are really about. These credentialed educators and licensed therapist reveal why the science says the adolescent years (ages 12–18) are actually the foundation of your future adult relationship with your child — not the beginning of the end. They break down why teens push parents away (hint: it’s neuroscience, not personal), how to reconnect without pressure, and why shifting from a ”manager” to a ”consultant” role is the key to raising self-sufficient young adults. Parents will discover how to connect with a teen who seems to want nothing to do with them, why controlling behavior actually weakens trust, how social media distorts parenting expectations, and why the most powerful thing you can do as a parent is regulate your own nervous system first. Packed with practical, science-backed strategies — from reflective listening to side-by-side connection — this episode gives overwhelmed parents the tools and confidence to stop dreading these years and start genuinely enjoying who their teenager is becoming.
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  Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans with Sheinelle Jones 21.04.2026 24mnt

  In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, I sit down with Sheinelle Jones, co-host of Today with Jenna and Sheinelle and author of Through Mom’s Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans, to unpack what she learned from interviewing the moms behind some of the most extraordinary humans, including Lady Gaga, Serena and Venus Williams, Steph Curry, and the Jonas Brothers.
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  Teen Secrecy: Why Your Teen Isn’t Telling You Everything (And What to Do About It) 14.04.2026 11mnt

  In this episode, Dr. Cam unpacks what teen secrecy actually means and why it is often less about defiance and more about development. You’ll hear why the usual parent response can backfire, what secrecy may be protecting, and how to respond in a way that keeps trust intact instead of pushing your teen further away.
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  What to Do If Your Teen Is In Crisis (Advice from a Sandy Hook Mom) 07.04.2026 27mnt

  When something feels off with your teen, would you know what to do? Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise and Sandy Hook mom, shares how to recognize the warning signs of teen crisis most parents miss — and the one thing you can do right now to keep your child safe.
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  Why Consequences Stop Working with Teens (And What to Do Instead) 31.03.2026 32mnt

  If consequences keep leading to more pushback, shutdowns, or power struggles with your teen, this episode will show you why. Dr. Cam and Charle Peck unpack what’s really going on beneath teen defiance—and the simple shift that helps parents get better behavior without more battles.
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  Stop Punishing Your Teen’s Bad Choices What Actually Builds Better Decision-Making Skills 23.03.2026 14mnt

  When your teen makes a bad choice, punishment feels like the right move—but it often backfires. In this episode, discover what actually helps teens build real decision-making skills so they make better choices—even when you’re not there.
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  Teaching Your Teen to Drive: How to Help an Anxious Teen Driver Build Confidence 10.03.2026 35mnt

  In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, Dr. Cam talks with Nigel Tunnacliffe, CEO and co-founder of Coastline Academy, the largest driving school in the country, about how parents can help anxious teen drivers feel more confident and capable behind the wheel.
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  Why Is My Teen So Entitled? The Truth About Teaching Gratitude 03.03.2026 16mnt

  Is your teen acting entitled or ungrateful no matter how much you give? In this episode, Dr. Cam explains the developmental science behind teen self-focus and shares practical, research-backed strategies to build real gratitude without lectures, guilt, or power struggles.
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  Teen Son Won’t Talk? Why He Shuts Down—and How to Get Him to Open Up Again 24.02.2026 37mnt

  Teen boys shutting down can feel like rejection, but it’s usually self-protection. Dr. Cam and teen counselor Jarrod Hoffman share what actually helps teen boys open up again, including reflective listening, trust-building shifts, and simple connection tools that stop the lecture cycle.
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  The Shocking Truth About Teen Defiance: What Science Says About Kids Who Talk Back 17.02.2026 15mnt

  If your teen argues about everything, it might not be defiance, it might be healthy brain development. Dr. Cam explains why “talking back” can be a sign of critical thinking and connection, plus what to say to keep disagreements respectful without losing your authority.
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  Biggest Screen Time Mistakes Parents Make (and What Actually Works Instead) 10.02.2026 40mnt

  Screen time battles aren’t about minutes—they’re about judgment, trust, and how to stay influential with your teen in an AI-driven world.
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  The Chore Strategy That Got My Teen to Help Around the House (Without Having to Nag!) 03.02.2026 18mnt

  In this episode of Parenting Teens with Dr. Cam, Dr. Cam breaks down the real reason chores blow up in so many homes—and why most of the common fixes (punishment, consequences, rewards, bribing, threatening, lecturing) often backfire long-term.
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  Is Roblox Safe for Teens? What Parents Need to Know 26.01.2026 37mnt

  In this episode, I brought in someone who actually knows what’s happening behind the scenes at Roblox: Tammy Bhaumik, Vice President of Civility and Partnerships at Roblox. And let me tell you—this conversation will either calm your nervous system… or at least give you a real plan.