E33: Parenting Anxious Teens

This episode is for parents. Sophia explores her professional insights from working in clinical and school settings, to help anxious teens. If you are a parent, you'll get practical skills and ideas to help any stressed out teens in your home.Guest:Sophia Vale Galano is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private therapy practice in Los Angeles, California. Sophia has been working with teens and their families for over a decade, and is the author of the book “Calming Teenage Anxiety: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teenager Cope with Worry” on the 7th of October.Sophia provided counseling to students at a large public high school, and offered both case management and group therapy at a psychiatric hospital. Sophia has extensive experience working as a therapist in residential, inpatient, outpatient and educational settings. She also served as a primary therapist for young adult males in a long-term, highly structured treatment center for substance use. She now provides mental health services in the Los Angeles Area. Sophia’s first book “Calming Teenage Anxiety” was published in 2025, and available from multiple online booksellers.To learn more about Sophia and her book Calming Teenage Anxiety, please visit:https://sophiagalano.com/book/https://sophiagalano.com/Timestamps:3:00  – Personal Story – How Sophia Found Work on Teen Anxiety5:00 – Generational Differences for Anxiety – Technology, Social Media, Academic Pressure8:40 – Concept – Anxiety & Social Media10:15 – Concept – Not Restrict, Discuss and Modify Use12:30 – Parent Strategy – Sprinkle Social Media Use Suggestions as a Coach14:15 – Concept – How to Approach Dialogue with Your Teen14:30 – Parent Strategy – Come from a Place of Learning, Not Fixing16:00 – Parent Strategy – Initiating Conversations in Casual Spaces17:30 – Parent Strategy – Revisit Conversations22:30 – Concept – Rise in Academic Pressure + Increased Competition25:30 – Parent Strategy – Lead By Example About Pressure (Modeling)29:00 – Concept – Exploring Regular Stress vs. Anxiety29:50 – Parent Strategy – Monitor How Often Their Teen is Feeling Anxious31:45 – Concept – Helpful Ideas for Supporting Students with High Anxiety33:45 – Concept – What’s Happening Under the Surface in Dialogue w/ Teens39:15 – Parent Strategy – Self Care and Self Awareness41:00 – Study - Secure Base Provision: A New Approach to Examining Links Between Maternal Caregiving and Infant Attachment (Woodhouse et al., 2020)41:00 – Concept – “Good Enough Parent” and 50% of the Time42:00 – Parent Strategy – Try Lots of Different ApproachesSpecial thanks to musical artists:Psalm Trees: https://psalmtreesbeats.bandcamp.com/Chris Keys: https://chriskeys.bandcamp.com/To provide suggestions for new topics in future episodes, visit:present-mind.org/podcast