Stop F*cking Nodding: And Other Things 16-Year-Olds Say in Therapy

This book is for anyone who knows, loves, is baffled by, or wants to help someone who is, has been, or is going to be 16.

Sixteen is where anything can happen and often does; the eye of the storm of adolescence, filled with demands, challenges, turbulence and passion. This book is written for psychotherapists, but also for parents, teachers and anyone who has an interest in how the teenage mind works. Jeanine Connor draws on her 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist specialising in children and young people to paint vivid vignettes of some of the 16-year-olds she has worked with. These nine stories capture and explore the key themes and challenges in this demanding and rewarding work: sex, gender, identity, body image, self-esteem, depression, loneliness, difference, loss and despair. But also the humour, quirkiness and mercurial charm of her young clients, brought to life through frank dialogue, deft description and quick-fire repartee.

And if any reader thinks they recognise themselves in any of the characters portrayed, then the book’s work is done. Anonymised they may be, but these stories will illuminate your understanding of the lives of 16-year-olds today, and maybe your own 16-year-old self as well.