Untethered

“In the 25 years I have been working with young people, I have rarely read a more honest, accurate, compassionate, and clear call to action to support the emotional and physical health of our children and repair our relationships with them. I will be recommending Untethered to all the schools and parents I work with, and I dearly hope they integrate Bolton’s advice. We would all be better off for it.”
—Rosalind Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of Queen Bees and Wannabes

“Dr. Bolton trains a nuanced, humane, empathic lens on one of the most pressing issues of our time: the state of our young people’s mental health. His prescription for protecting our children from a world that can be harsh and unrelenting, and is rapidly becoming more so, is simple but too often devalued: human connection—through conflict, through setbacks, through triumphs, through time. As a pediatric surgeon, as a social scientist, and importantly, as a mother, Untethered is among the best books I’ve read on the subject of human development.”
—Dana Suskind, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Parent Nation

“Doug Bolton masterfully blends his personal experience with scientific research to offer a transformative road map for healthy child development. His emphasis on the power of community is a refreshing and much-needed perspective in today’s overwhelming and high-pressure world.”
—Jennifer Breheny Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of Never Enough

“This optimistic and important book couldn’t arrive at a more perfect time! As young people are becoming increasingly anxious, sad, and lonely, Untethered offers a powerful antidote—communities for children and teens that foster feelings of connection and belonging. Drawing on extensive research on the importance of relationships, and on his decades of experience as a psychologist and parent, Dr. Bolton shows parents, educators, and civic leaders how to create communities of kindness and empathy in which young people can flourish. Please read this book. You and your children will be better for it.”
—William R. Stixrud, PhD, coauthor of The Self-Driven Child and What Do You Say?

“At one time or another, every parent and every educator has wondered why a child seems unmotivated or doesn’t want to listen. Untethered by Doug Bolton provides the best answers I’ve ever read for these and other concerns. It challenges the underlying assumptions behind these problems and shares new principles, tools, and skills to address them. There are countless books published for parents and educators every year, but this book is in a class by itself.”
—Ellen Galinsky, author of The Breakthrough Years and Mind in the Making

“From the opening pages, Untethered had me gripped. Packed with mind-blowing research and crucial takeaways for parents and caregivers—while still reading like a page-turner of a novel—Dr. Bolton’s work will completely shift our thinking on how to raise happy, resilient children (and be happier, more resilient parents, too).”
—Michelle Icard, author of Eight Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success

“Doug Bolton’s Untethered is a moving call to action for parents and educators. By shifting beyond outdated practices and embracing interconnected support systems, Bolton offers practical tools to foster emotional well-being and resilience in children. This book is a game-changer for anyone looking to support the next generation.”
—Michele Borba, author of Thrivers

“What a wonderful book! At a time when so many people increasingly feel disconnected, Doug Bolton’s Untethered arrives with a spot-on diagnosis of why connection matters so much and what to do to bolster it—a prescription for how any of us can make small changes with big impact to reestablish bonds in homes, schools, and communities that are vital to heal and help children, ours and everyone else’s.”
—Ned Johnson, coauthor of The Self-Driven Child and What Do You Say?

“It’s the authenticity in Doug Bolton’s writing that will grab you first, but it’s the onion-like layers of wisdom, experience, science, and compassion that will keep you thinking about Untethered long after you’ve read it. This book is a love letter to community and connection. It’s a masterclass on how to address a string of behavioral, social, and emotional challenges using tools that have been hiding in plain sight for far too long.”
—Cara Natterson, MD, author of Decoding Boys and This Is So Awkward

Doug Bolton, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and educational leader who has focused his career on supporting students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges since 1987. Dr. Bolton worked in therapeutic schools as a school psychologist before spending the next fourteen years as principal of North Shore Academy, a K−12 public therapeutic school on the north shore of Chicago. He currently maintains a private practice and consults in schools with leaders that want to enhance their ability to support their students with mental health issues. Through keynote addresses, professional development workshops, and individual consultations with teachers and students, Dr. Bolton empowers educational teams to create school communities that foster resilience for our most vulnerable students.

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