Author, Licensed Child and Family Therapist

After a lecture at a conference last year, a parent suggested that I write a book with my "best ideas" for dealing and communicating with teens. At the time I thought, "I have only two: don't judge and don't take it personally." I told the parent I'd feel a little self-conscious charging Mars and Venus prices for a two-line book. Of course, it's not always that simple. But with those two thoughts in mind, many challenges associated with parenting teens can be brought down to a manageable size. Mental health professionals can be valuable allies when it comes to taming the rest.

Chris Crutcher is a 57-year-old, critically acclaimed author with eight novels, a book of short stories and an auto biography still in print with HarperCollins/Greenwillow. He's also a licensed child and family therapist in the Pacific Northwest, specializing in the unique challenges that go hand-in-hand with raising teenagers. He's been awarded the American Library Association's Margaret Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 for his dedication to bettering the lives of teens. The National Council of Teachers of English named him their Intellectual Freedom Award winner in 1998 for his commitment to free speech. He lectures for standing room only audiences at least 30 times a year at universities and conferences across the United States.

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