According to the website Love is Respect, 1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse from someone they are in a relationship with. These are alarming statistics.

In this episode we define what an abusive relationship is. How can parents know if their teens is an abusive relationship and what are the warning signs. And most importantly how can parents talk to their teens and protect them against the abuse or being the abuser.

I brought in another family therapist to discuss this important subject.

Our guest today is Eden Garcia-Balis, M.S. LMFT who was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Airport Marina Counseling Service (AMCS) in 2014. She has been in the mental health field for over 19 years with experience in leadership and management of service programs, business operations and fundraising. In addition, she was the Executive Director of the Pasadena Mental Health Center. Eden has a passion for working with the underprivileged and underserved and believes all people regardless of their socioeconomic status deserve quality mental health services they can afford. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and brings a strong clinical background to her position at AMCS.

I asked Eden why a third of all U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they are in relationship with. I mean that's really high.

"It's very high. It's alarming and I'm often asked, why is that statistic so high? When you look at what our children are listening to, when you look at what our children, our youth, our teens are seeing on TV, they don't know what a healthy relationship looks like.

Some of the questions we dive into are...

1. Why do you think there has been rise in domestic violence among teens and why do you think it is more common than ever?

2. What are some of the warning signs parents or guardians should look for if they suspect their teen may be in violent or unhealthy relationship?

3. What are some of the ways parents can talk to their kids about dating violence and when is the right time to have this conversation?

4. What advice would you give teens who are in a relationship with a partner that is exhibiting violent, controlling or unhealthy behaviors?

5. What advice would you give parents who suspect, or know, their child is in an unhealthy relationship?

Find out more about Eden at https://www.amcshelps.com/management

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