Your Life, Your Way - by Joseph V Ciarrochi & Louise L Hayes (Paperback)

About the Book

Building on the success of The Thriving Adolescent and Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens, psychologists and teen experts Louise Hayes and Joseph Ciarrochi show teens how to face common daily challenges--including bullying; feeling lonely, depressed, or anxious; failing school; achieving peak performance in sports; and much more. With this fun and illustrated guide, teen readers will find solid and actionable skills to help them overcome these challenges, increase psychological flexibility, and achieve their goals.

Book Synopsis

The ultimate teen guide to handling all the pressures and challenges of life--your own way!

Being a teen in today's world is tough. Between school pressure, family, friends, and extracurricular activities--sometimes it can feel like you're being pulled in a dozen different directions, and none of them are your way. On top of that, you may feel lonely, angry, or depressed; or you may wonder if you're good enough, smart enough, or attractive enough. So, how can you overcome these self-doubts, and cultivate the strength to face life's challenges and reach your full potential?

In Your Life, Your Way, you'll learn how to deal with all the changes and challenges of the teen years--and how to grow into the person you want to be. You'll learn doable skills grounded in mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and positive psychology to help you form positive friendships, manage difficult emotions, and get unstuck from bad habits. You'll also learn real tips for dealing with several life challenges, including:

• Feelings of uncertainty
• Concerns about your looks
• Deadlines
• School/college/work
• Family
• Worries about the future
• Relationship stress

Once you identify your own personal struggles, you can decide how you want to face them--as strong, assertive, kind, honorable, caring, fun, supportive, friendly, agreeable, bold, persistent, or giving.

If you're ready to take charge of your destiny and face problems head on in your own way, this fun and illustrated book has everything you need to get started today!

Review Quotes

"This self-help guide provides step-by-step coping strategies for teens who struggle with social-emotional challenges. Based on acceptance and commitment therapy practices, the text identifies specific actions that will produce desired changes.... Each chapter begins with an inspirational quote from a pop culture figure and ends with a summary. Humorous pen illustrations are featured throughout, and the use of subtitles and bullets keeps the somewhat complex content organized.... ­VERDICT: Recommended for middle and high school libraries that need to expand their self-help sections."
--School Library Journal-- "School Library Journal" (11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"This self-help workbook offers practical interventions to help teens navigate their life journeys... Whimsical ink drawings, pithy quotations, and frequent use of humor enhance this handbook for healthy living. Be the change!"
--Kirkus Reviews-- "Kirkus Reviews" (8/25/2020 12:00:00 AM)

"Your Life, Your Way is not only filled with thoughtful and valuable guidance, it is also filled with rich, textured, and fun images and exercises. It is the perfect book to aid teenagers in relating to their emotions in an effective fashion. It is ideal for helping them build resiliency. I was wonderfully captured by each page. Ciarrochi and Hayes have 'nailed it' with this amazing self-help guide for those who are young and struggling. I might even suggest that us grown-ups could use it too! Thank you for creating such an amazing journey; it will be invaluable to all who explore its pages."
--Robyn D. Walser, PhD, codirector of the Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinic; assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley; author of The Heart of ACT; and coauthor of Learning ACT and The Mindful Couple--Robyn D. Walser, PhD

"Your Life, Your Way speaks authentically to young people setting out to figure out who and how they want to be. The authors' DNA-V model is a practical, accessible framework that is clearly grounded in well-researched principles of behavior change, as well as adolescent development. With meaningful questions to ponder and exercises to build new skills, this book provides exceptional tools to guide teens throughout their life's journey."
--Siri Ming, PhD, BCBA-D, behavior analyst, and coauthor of Using RFT to Promote Generative Language--Siri Ming, PhD, BCBA-D

"Your Life, Your Way takes a scientific model and makes it tangible and practical. Parents ought to buy this book for their teens. But, please parents, read it and try the exercises first. You might just change with your teens. Also, as a supervisor, I would certainly offer this book to trainees as a treatment outline. The structure is simple, direct, and flexible enough to fit real-world therapy."
--Kelly Wilson, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Mississippi, founding president of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), and coauthor of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy--Kelly Wilson, PhD

"A unique, skillfully crafted tool kit for empowering young people, no matter what they are struggling with. This beautifully illustrated workbook shows young people that they are the person they have been waiting for--they have the power to transform and move their lives in a direction that sets their hearts on fire. I cannot think of a more perfect and timely resource for teens (and the adults who support them)."
--Evelyn Gould, PhD, BCBA-D, clinical behavior analyst at the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety, and research associate at Harvard Medical School--Evelyn Gould, PhD, BCBA-D

"Adolescence is a time of discovery, of taking mindful risks, and of learning flexibility in the face of the uncertainty and adversity involved in growing up in our world as it is today. This book is a gift to adolescents and their parents, as well as clinicians, teachers, counselors, and coaches who work with them. Created by Joe Ciarriochi and Louise Hayes, this brilliant book based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is just what every teen needs: a pragmatic, accessible, down-to-earth guide that will empower them to go out and live their way into their best lives. Sixteen-year-old me really, really loves this book, and highly recommends it!"
--Lisa W. Coyne, PhD, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; founder of the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety in Boston, MA; and author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy--Lisa W. Coyne, PhD

"The DNA-V model is a game changer; one of the most exciting third-wave interventions in years. This cool-looking book presents the model in a way that teens will love and find helpful."
--Ben Sedley, PhD, clinical psychologist, and author of Stuff That Sucks--Ben Sedley, PhD

"What would it be like to own your own life? I don't mean a life that's perfect, or smooth, or easy. I mean a life that's about what your heart yearns for it to be about. That can happen, and this book is about how to get it to happen. It's based on scores of studies about people just like you, but it is easy to read, clear, and wise. If you want your life, your way--this book will show you how."
--Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno; and codeveloper of ACT--Steven C. Hayes, PhD

About the Author

Joseph V. Ciarrochi, PhD, is a professor at the Institute of Positive Psychology and Education at Australian Catholic University, and coauthor of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens and The Thriving Adolescent. He has published more than 140 scientific journal articles and many books, including the widely acclaimed Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life and The Weight Escape. Ciarrochi has been honored with more than four million dollars in research funding. His work has been discussed on TV and radio, and in magazines and newspaper articles.

Louise L. Hayes, PhD, is an international acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) trainer and speaker. She is also a clinical psychologist and researcher collaborating on interventions with young people. Hayes has published research trials using ACT for young people, and is coauthor of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life for Teens and The Thriving Adolescent--the book that introduced DNA-V. She is dedicated to helping young people and their families live well.

Illustrator Katharine Hall is based in Wellington, New Zealand. From her wonderful studio in Aotearoa, she tells stories that can translate across language; and specializes in ink work and digital designs for individuals, start-ups, and businesses both big and small.