Role playing when discussing sex with teens

Psychologist & Sex Therapist Sheila Kamen, PsyD, shares advice for parents on the benefits that coaching and role playing can have when discussing sex with your teenage child
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Role playing when discussing sex with teens

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It´s important to know that your teen´s brain development is not fully complete until they are around 25 years old. So the part of their brain that deals with logic and making good choices is not fully there, so if you assume that your child is reasoning through situations they may be in in the same way you would, they probably are not. So I think one of the best things you can do is role play with your child or have a discussion about a real life situation with your child so that they can work through all of the potential outcomes of the situation. So say for example your teen daughter finds herself in a room alone with a boy and she knows she´s not having sex before she turns 16. That´s a decision she´s made. But she may not have worked out what she will do and how she will respond if the boy asks her to touch his penis or if he wants to do something sexual with her that she´s never heard of or isn´t familiar with. So preparing her by having a discussion that asks her questions about what you would do if he did this and how would you feel if you said yes or no. What do you think he would think? Get that logical part of her brain thinking so the she can make those decisions on her own in a better way.

Psychologist & Sex Therapist Sheila Kamen, PsyD, shares advice for parents on the benefits that coaching and role playing can have when discussing sex with your teenage child

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Sheila Kamen, PsyD

Psychologist & Sex Therapist

Sheila Kamen works with individuals and couples in La Jolla, California.  She works with individuals and couples as a coach and therapist. She specializes in couples therapy, sex therapy, and relationship coaching. She also offers premarital and family building counseling. While she no longer works with children, she does help parents with issues related to children.  Sheila lives in San Diego. 

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