From Situationships to Soulmates

How to Talk to Teens about Healthy Relationships

Navigating teen dating can be tricky for parents and caregivers. Not only does it bring up unexpected emotions, but it can also lead to situations that are new territory for everyone. This workshop helps you approach this complex topic with confidence and clarity. You'll learn how to have meaningful conversations with your teen about love, jealousy, consent, boundaries, and yes, even breakups. Through a strengths-based lens that focuses on what healthy relationships look like (not just what to avoid), you'll gain practical tools for supporting your teen whether they're dating now or will be in the future. We'll also cover warning signs of unhealthy and abusive relationships (including in digital spaces) and how to respond in ways that keep communication open. You'll walk away with conversation starters, strategies for tricky moments, and the confidence to be a trusted voice as your teen learns what it means to have healthy connections with others.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain why engaging in open, proactive conversations with teens about dating and relationships supports healthy development and strengthens parent-teen connection

• Identify characteristics of healthy, unhealthy, and abusive adolescent relationships and describe strategies for addressing warning signs while maintaining trust

• Apply a strengths-based approach that affirms healthy behaviors in teen relationships while building skills for future connections

• Use at least three conversation starters and strategies to discuss love, jealousy, consent, boundaries, and relationship transitions with their teen