Talks for Professionals
Video of Julie Metzger speaking to parent group
Recent talk given by Great Conversations
Talks for Parents listed below

Is adolescence baffling to you? Does it seem your teens act, talk, and think totally differently from you when you were their age? With extensive experience in providing health care to teens and their families, we will try to explain how it works, why they’re different, why they think the way they do, and perhaps what you should expect in the coming years. Parents of teens, parents of future teens, and surviving parents of teens are all welcome, as are all others who find this age so fascinating.
Despite appearances, children want their parents to be their Number One resource for information on values, puberty and sex. This program is designed to help parents set the stage for open communication about the physical, social and emotional changes that accompany adolescence. Several strategies and ideas will be offered to assist parents in this endeavor.
Pre-teens have a lot on their minds…how to survive the math test, the soccer game that afternoon, a friend’s loyalty, parent expectations, fear of being teased, a teacher’s comments…all while undergoing a complete body and brain transformation called puberty. This discussion will focus on the developmental stages of pre-teens, the questions and concerns that are on their minds, and strategies for the trusted adults who live and work alongside them.
Sometimes mothers feel confused on what their role should be in steering their son in his course toward manhood. This talk covers some of the unique issues facing boys as they mature, some of the things on their minds, the role of male and female role-models, and strategies in building communication between the teen boy and his mom.
There is nothing quite like being a dad of a daughter - but sometimes as our girls get older, they become more of a mystery. This talk explores how dads can remain close to their daughters while balancing our hopes for their lives with their passions and priorities. Strategies to promote understanding and maintain a healthy communication will be explored.
As parents, it’s difficult to know how to communicate with your child about potentially dangerous choices. What are the right questions to ask? What information do they need? How can you assess the risk and create a partnership of trust and respect? A discussion of ideas, facts, and strategies for parents.
Do we need to worry about teens’ health? Yes! Many health habits and conditions that follow us through life are begun in the teen years. Subjects such as obesity and eating disorders, exercise, sleep patterns, drugs, common medical complaints, and chronic conditions will be discussed.
One of the greatest balancing acts parents face in today’s world is knowing when to step forward to help and guide their children’s lives and when to let their child make independent decisions and choices for themselves. These moments can be as simple as what they wear that day to a decision to not attend college. How do families work together in a partnership of trust and respect as children and parents encounter new experiences? What are specific ways we can encourage our children to be resilient, accountable, and inter-dependent people in a fast-changing world?
We’ve all heard of the worsening epidemic of obesity in our nation and have seen or heard of others who paradoxically starve themselves. This is a discussion of what we know about eating disorders in teens, what works and what doesn’t work, and ways parents can help deal with these ever-present issues.
It can be challenging in the moment to know how to help our children communicate effectively and build healthy relationships. These moments can be as simple as not getting invited to a birthday party or being teased at recess. A review of latest research on social dynamics of children and strategies for kids and parents.
For parents of middle school and high school students - important conversations to consider having with teens to promote understanding, build a base of trust and partnership.
For parents of elementary aged children - important conversations to consider having with your child to promote understanding, build a base of trust and partnership.
In a national study of children ages 8-10, half of the girls reported being unhappy with their size and nearly 40% of 4th graders has been on an occasional ‘diet.’ Peers provide input, media images are influential, but when asked, most children from toddler through teen years see their parents as their primary source of information about their bodies. How do we as parents respond when our children worry about “being fat” or “not pretty enough” or “being small?” What messages can we share with our children so that they can see themselves as the unique and wonderful beings that they are? Discussion on body image for children of all ages.

Taking their experiences from over 16 years of classes with pre-teens on sexuality and growing up, this talk will cover the four big questions on all kids’ minds, challenges faced by many kids to achieving healthy adolescence and by professionals in caring for them, and strategies to help them successfully negotiate their way through this exciting period of life.
Adolescents differ from adults in their health behaviors, social and psychological development, access to resources, and preconceived notions of STDs. This talk covers the basic approach to providing STD care to the adolescent age group and many tips on how the provider can improve access to this population.
There are immense rewards for health care providers to care for teens, and there are also some challenging areas that make this age group unique and occasionally frustrating. This talk provides several strategies for taking care of teens; discusses many of the difficult areas such as confidentiality, sexuality, and adherence; and provides tips on how you can be a “cool” provider.
Although females might outnumber males coming in for reproductive health issues, males play an integral role in many of the issues we face in this area. Topics covered include: why males infrequently visit facilities for these issues, the special aspects of teen males, tips on increasing access to males, and evaluation of some specific male reproductive concerns.
Although parents might play the primary role in providing sexuality education for their children, there are many other adults who can contribute as resources to youth, including educators, health care providers, social service personnel, and policy-makers. This talk provides some insight into how the rest of the community can help families assist their children in their path through adolescence.
Families often ask their health care provider how to improve their communication with their teens. This talk covers common difficulties between parents and their teens and how the health care provider can help overcome these challenges and promote better communication between them.
This is a general introduction to the common problems seen in adolescent primary care and various strategies in providing care to this unique age group.
What is unique about reproductive care in adolescents? From pubertal to developmental to behavioral issues, this talk will cover the major issues in reproductive health for this age group.
This talk covers the history of Adolescent Medicine as a field, requirements of various disciplines, general curriculum, review of various clinical experiences, specific challenges in teaching adolescent health care, and lessons learned from setting up a free-standing community adolescent health center.

…plus many other topics on more specific issues of adolescent health