Parents and family matter: strategies for developing family-centered adolescent care within primary care practices.

Healthy adolescent development and successful transition to adulthood begins in the family. Supporting families in their communities and cultures ultimately makes this support system stronger. Parenting adolescents is described as the most challenging life stage for parents. Primary care providers are in an ideal position to support families with teens. This article reviews stressors, recommends strength-based strategies, describes how health care delivery systems can be organized to address the needs of adolescents and their families, shares a case study of a family-oriented, youth-friendly primary care clinic, and provides practical strategies for developing family-centered adolescent care within primary care practices.