Dr. Henry G. Brzycki and Elaine J. Brzycki Announce Breakthrough Methods to Improve Teen Mental Health

Playbook Provides Number One Protective Factor

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Early reviews confirm that "Champions in Life: The Playbook for Teens and Their Parents with 10 Essential Skills to Optimize Mental Health—by positive psychology experts Dr. Henry G. Brzycki and Elaine J. Brzycki—strengthens teen mental health.

The book for teens and their parents—released by The Brzycki Group and The Center for the Self in Schools—offers clinically proven, breakthrough methods that produce happy, healthy and flourishing teens.

By completing ten critical skills and thirty experiences, teens can empirically build their mental health. Teens develop self-awareness through everyday trial-and-error interactions with important people in their lives, beginning with their parents (or guardians/caretakers).

Kim Bartosch, young adult author, says in her professional review, "If you've ever felt unsure about how to start mental health conversations with your child, this book gives you that starting point . . . It sparks conversations, reflection, and connection—something many young people deeply need today."

For example, the playbook guides teens to share their seemingly impossible dreams, and encourages parents to simply listen without judgment or paring down the dreams. Through this process, teens feel more connected, self-directed, confident, inspired and hopeful at a critical developmental stage.

Dr. Henry G. Brzycki says, "The playbook helps teens build protective mental health competencies such as self-esteem, resilience, internal motivation and life purpose. These competencies build overall 'self-awareness,' which research shows is the number one protective factor for mental health."

According to a 2024 CDC National Center for Health Statistics study, parents think they are offering emotional support during critical teen years, but teens disagree. Teens are suffering in silence with nowhere to turn.

Teens often feel existential anxiety and depression, keeping them from fully experiencing the happiness and love that are available through their relationships and daily experiences.

The dominance of screen time contributes to "dissociation," a clinical term meaning teens are separated from their own thoughts and feelings. Simultaneously, teens' sense of Self is "disintegrated" by unceasing and fragmented demands for their attention.

Parents/caregivers can ensure that their teens are equipped with the latest best practices for prevention, and not wait until treatment is necessary. The playbook builds a foundation of resilience for teens ages 12 to 18 years old, and it teaches how to integrate the Self and heal dissociation.

Studies find that 75% of life success comes from non-cognitive factors such as self-awareness, motivation, emotional intelligence, and passion for pursuing an area of interest. Unfortunately, schools are not doing enough to impart these competencies. Therefore, parents need to make certain, within their own families, that their teens have the opportunity to develop these critical non-cognitive factors.

With Champions in Life, teens and families gain real-life skills to proactively envision and pursue happy, healthy and flourishing lives.

Dr. Henry G. Brzycki and Elaine J. Brzycki, experts in positive psychology, human development, and teen mental health, invented the Integrated Self Model™, which is transforming education, counseling, and family dynamics worldwide. They authored six top-selling books. Their work is used in over 60 countries.

Media Contact:
Elaine J. Brzycki
814-753-2505
[email protected] 

SOURCE The Brzycki Group & The Center for the Self