On Wednesday, Oct. 15, Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Chicago welcomed Dr. Lisa Damour, a nationally recognized expert in adolescent mental health, for a community presentation in the school’s auditorium.
Dr. Damour, author of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, Untangled and Under Pressure, spoke to parents, educators and community members about how to better understand and support young people as they navigate the challenges of adolescence.
Her books explore the complex emotional world of teens and offer practical, compassionate guidance for parents and educators. In The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, Damour examines how emotions are an essential and healthy part of development and how adults can help teens manage them. Untangled helps parents understand the key transitions girls experience on their journey to adulthood, while Under Pressure focuses on the realities of stress and anxiety in young women today and how these challenges can be managed and even harnessed for growth.
Damour’s work centers on adolescent development, stress and anxiety management, emotional intelligence, and the parent-teen relationship. She provides a framework for recognizing that discomfort and challenge are often natural, even healthy, parts of growing up, and offers tools to help teens build resilience and emotional balance.
During her presentation at Mother McAuley, Damour emphasized that being mentally healthy does not mean feeling happy all the time.
“Mental health is about having emotions that make sense for the situation and managing those emotions well,” she said. Her sessions offered valuable strategies for recognizing and supporting the emotional needs of young women.
Carey Harrington, president of Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, said the school was honored to host Damour and praised her for helping the community approach mental health with empathy and understanding.
“The teenage years can be both exhilarating and challenging,” Harrington said. “It’s important for parents and educators to listen with empathy, maintain open communication and remind young people that it’s OK to experience the full range of emotions. At Mother McAuley, we believe in nurturing the whole person—mind, body and spirit—and we are grateful for opportunities like Dr. Damour’s visit that strengthen our shared commitment to the emotional well-being of our students and families.”
In addition to her books, Damour is a contributor to The New York Times and CBS News and served as a consultant on Pixar’s upcoming film Inside Out 2, which explores emotional growth and complexity in adolescence. Her visit reflected Mother McAuley’s continued dedication to fostering open, informed conversations about mental health and supporting the holistic development of every student.
