The Emotional Lives of Teenagers

The Association for Academic Leaders is proud to offer an exclusive opportunity for members to learn from New York Times best selling author Dr. Lisa Damour.

Course Description​​

Join Lisa in exploring her acclaimed book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, in this members-only two-week online course with unique content for independent school educators. Lisa will teach you how to apply the insights of the book to your work with teenagers in schools, and you'll have the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A following your course.

Course Creators

• Lisa Damour, Ph.D. is a psychologist, author, teacher, and parent. She is a founder of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls, the author of the best sellers Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls, writes the monthly Adolescence column for the Well Family section of the New York Times, and is a regular contributor at CBS News. Her co-creator for the course is Brad Rathgeber, President and CEO of One Schoolhouse, and a veteran teacher and administrator in independent schools.

Course Format

• Participants in the course will be guided through Lisa Damour’s The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, by the author herself, in a two-week long asynchronous online course. In each week of this course, Lisa frames the lessons of her book through an educator’s lens and offers her thoughts and questions for educators to consider while reading the text. The course also offers additional resources specific to the role of educators in teenagers' lives, presents a case study for participants to explore with peers in the course, and encourages discussion with participants around a central question or theme in the reading. Following the end of the course, participants are invited to join a live Q&A with Lisa. Expect to spend five to six hours each week engaged in the course (three to four hours if participants have already read the book.)

• Please note: participants should obtain a copy of the book prior to the start of the course.

"I've already adapted our definition of mental health while working with Upper School students in one of their health classes. We [now] use Lisa Damour's definition/explanation of mental health - having the right feelings at the right time and being able to manage those feelings effectively. We used this for the first time this semester and I'd like to spread the message more broadly within our school community, to shift away from the idea that teens are only mentally healthy if they're feeling good."

Robyn Jaffe, Director of Health and Wellness at The Nightingale-Bamford School