Cracking the Boy Code

About the Author

Adam J. Cox Ph.D, is a clinical psychologist whose work includes thousands of hours interviewing children. His research includes a multi-year global research project, Locating Significance in the Lives of Boys, for the International Boys' Schools Coalition, during which he interviewed students and teachers in the US, UK, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, from a wide variety of social and educational backgrounds. A sought-after therapist and frequent speaker on the psychology of boys, he is author of the acclaimed books On Purpose Before Twenty, Boys of Few Words and No Mind Left Behind. Cox lives in Rhode Island and shares his wisdom in his newsletter Family Matters at DrAdamCox.com.

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How to Understand and Talk with Boys

by Adam Cox

All too quickly, talkative, affectionate young boys seem to slip away. Adolescents may be transformed overnight into reclusive, seemingly impenetrable young people who open up only to their friends and spend more time on devices than with family. How do you penetrate this shell before they are lost to you?

Drawing on decades of experience garnered through thousands of hours of therapy with boys, Cracking the Boy Code explains how the key to communicating with boys is understanding their universal psychological needs and using specific, straightforward communication techniques. Coverage includes:

Why it's important to understand the psychological needs of boys
How to talk to be heard, and listen to understand
The crucial role of non-verbal cues
Learning the universal tone that helps boys listen
Motivating boys to become their authentic selves
Using purposeful work to teach boys self-respect and confidence
Reducing stress and creating greater closeness between boys and caregivers.

Essential reading for parents, caregivers, teachers, youth workers, coaches, and others who want to make a real connection with the boys in their lives.