The Motivation Mindset Workbook Helping Teens and Tweens Discover What They Love to Do

by Braaten, Ellen; Bush, Hillary

• ISBN13: 9781462559268
• ISBN10: 1462559263
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-12-08
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

What are my strengths? What makes me happy? What do I wish the adults in my life understood? These simple yet challenging questions are especially crucial for the many tweens and teens today who seem to have lost interest in everything (except possibly their phones!). Harvard psychologist Ellen Braaten’s Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less offered an in-depth look at motivational difficulties and how to overcome them. Now Dr. Braaten and Dr. Hillary Bush present The Motivation Mindset Workbook, bursting with practical tools and activities to unleash kids’ excitement and engagement with the world. Parents can use this book to help their child discover what they love to do and vault over obstacles holding them back. Teachers and therapists will find innovative, science-based ways to light the spark of motivation with individuals or groups. Note: The e-book edition offers fillable, downloadable versions of the book’s 82 worksheets.

Author Biography

Ellen Braaten, PhD, is Founding Director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Braaten is widely recognized as an expert in the field of pediatric neuropsychological and psychological assessment, particularly in the areas of assessing learning disabilities and attentional disorders. She is author or coauthor of many books and articles for parents and professionals.

Hillary Bush, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in Boston, where she provides neuropsychological assessments and therapy for children, teens, and young adults. Dr. Bush also serves as a part-time faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has published articles across many psychology topics for both scientific audiences and the general public. 

Table of Contents

Introduction: For Parents and Professionals
1. What’s the Point?
2. Who Am I?
3. What Makes Me Happy?
4. How Can I Get More of What Makes Me Happy?
5. Pulling It All Together
6. A Few Other Things That Can Get in the Way of Motivation
Resources
Index