Product Description

How the achievement frenzy is harming today’s teenage girls

Increased competition and an emphasis on excelling at all costs is creating debilitating pressure for adolescent girls. Based on clinical work, interviews, and a comprehensive survey of 3,000 teens, Dr. Cohen-Sandler gives concerned parents and teachers invaluable insights into what makes girls particularly vulnerable to harmful stress, the knowledge to identify those at greatest risk, and practical strategies to reduce their stress, build resiliency, and bolster self-confidence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #535368 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-29
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Many adolescent girls struggle with tremendous academic and social stress. Although it's common for them to bury their anguish, clinical psychologist Cohen-Sandler uncovers it in this treatise on the true feelings of 3,000 teenaged girls. Drawing on her clinical work, interviews and a wide-ranging survey, Cohen-Sandler identifies five types of worried girls and lays out strategies for helping them lessen anxiety, develop resiliency and build confidence. Among Cohen-Sandler's types are "adapting girls" who are challenged by transitions, "undervalued girls" who wrestle with "square peg" dilemmas, "insecure girls" who are desperate for acceptance, perfectionist girls who "burn too bright," and "distracted girls" whose minds wander. Geared specifically toward parents, the advice is practical and realistic: create a strong alliance with your daughter, avoid comparisons and enlist teachers' assistance. Mainly, though, Cohen-Sandler wants parents to convey to their daughters that they "are lovable despite their inevitable imperfections." The author has a substantial background in writing about teenaged girls in Girls' Life and Seventeen, and her wise, well-researched chronicle should be of help to parents of teen girls struggling with stress.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Cohen-Sandler, a clinical psychologist, has written timely, well-received titles about parenting adolescent girls--"Trust Me, Mom--Everyone Else Is Going" (2002)--and mother-daughter conflict--"I'm Not Mad, I Just Hate You!" (1999). Here she builds on her previous material in a title that helps parents understand the unique, intense pressures their daughters face. Today's girls, she writes "equate being successful with being extraordinary." After introducing common sources for contemporary girls' substantial anxiety, Cohen-Sandler defines the characteristics of perfectionists and other profiles of girls at risk. Final sections include a troubleshooting chapter that discusses therapy and when to change schools. As in her previous titles, Cohen-Sandler writes in clear, encouraging, straightforward language, and she effectively bolsters her points with anecdotes drawn from interviews with nearly 2,300 girls. And she offers direct encouragement for parents to balance their own lives as they guide their daughters: "The most potent antidote of your daughter's stress may be the alleviation of your own." An eye-opening, up-to-the-minute resource for all adults who work with teen girls. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Roni Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D., is the author of two previous books and has written for many publications. Her numerous television and radio appearances include the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Today, and NPR.

Customer Reviews

Is Your Daughter A Stress Mess? This can help!
Many girls worry their way through adolescence--whether they are socially insecure, high-achieving perfectionists, or just too scheduled. Stressed-Out Girls can help parents as well as educators know when to step in, when to step back, and how to help girls feel less overwhelmed and more in control. As an advice columnist for girls, I've read lots of parenting guides, and believe me, I don't give all of them a thumbs-up. But this book can help. And while an Amazon reviewer on this page pointed out, correctly, that in some ways girls have it easier than they used to, it's equally true that girls' lives are fuller--and more stressed--than ever before. Example: Years ago, we all took the SATs and that was that. Now students take SAT prep courses simply because everyone else is doing it. Suddenly weekends are full of tutoring and practice tests. It's more stressful (and expensive) for all. If your daughter is anxious, get this book for yourself and get GIRLTALK: All the Stuff Your Sister Never Told You for her. And start carving out some more downtime for everyone. Knowing how to ENJOY is as important as knowing how to EXCEL. --Carol at carolweston.com

A 'Must Read' for Parents
I received a copy of this book as a gift; now I am giving copies of it to other parents of teen-aged daughters. Until I read "Stressed-Out Girls," I never really understood the intense pressure that my daughters - and their friends - felt to succeed. While I enjoyed the book's first-hand stories and quotes, I especially appreciated the practical strategies that the author gives for reducing stress and bolstering confidence in teenaged girls.

A Useful Resource
As a psychologist, I have used this book as a resource. I have recommended it to parents of teenage girls and I have also referred to parts of the book during therapy sessions. Cohen-Sandler's description of the pressure girls feel to excel on all fronts has been especially helpful. In reponse to my sharing an excerpt with her, a thirteen year old recently exclaimed, "That's exactly how I feel" with a look of surprise on her face and tears in her eyes.