Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Can Hurt Too! Using Solution-Talk

As the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and psychotherapy have evolved, so has the use of jargon. That is, we’ve become accustomed to using language that emphasizes pathology and deficit with adolescents. Such language can contribute to defensiveness among parents and ado­ lescents as it emphasizes what’s wrong as opposed to what’s right. It also tends to blame parents and adolescents for problems. We refer to this as “problem-talk.”