Kristal DeSantis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with specializations in sex therapy, couples, and men's mental health issues. She is the creator of the STRONG Relationship Therapy Model of trauma-informed attachment-based couples therapy. She is joining us in the SMA today to talk about boys' mental health, the importance of healthy masculinity, and the impact of seeing healthy relationships on children's mental, emotional, and relational well-being. This was an incredibly powerful and critical conversation about teen boys and mental health. Please listen and share with the moms of boys in your life.   Listen in to hear Kristal share: How the socialization of male masculinity impacts boys’ mental health How our current tropes of masculinity are harmful to young boys Positive coping mechanisms for teen boys to reduce stress and build resilience The significance of validating your child as a human with inherent worth - not worth they have to earn The 4 Positions of Conversation that can positively impact parent/child communication Tips on how we can reduce the stigma around mental illness and help teen boys feel more comfortable talking about their struggles and seeking help Why we are seeing staggering rates to suicide in boys Links mentioned: Connect with Kristal: www.strong.love Get Kristal’s Book: STRONG: A Relationship Field Guide for the Modern Man Kristal on Twitter Kristal on IG Kristal on Threads Kristal on FB Kristal on TikTok We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: https://shamelessmom.com/sponsor Interested in becoming a sponsor of the Shameless Mom Academy? Email our sales team at [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices