Lifetime has picked up the all-new gripping series Teen Trouble, hosted by teen behavior specialist, author and motivational speaker Josh Shipp. In each episode, Shipp serves as the last hope for troubled families desperate to save their out-of-control teens and gives them the critical help they need to avoid tragedy. He will embed himself into the hidden lives of at-risk teens on dangerous, self-destructive paths - taking drugs, stealing from their families, abusing alcohol and breaking the law. Born an orphan and bounced around in many different foster homes until he figured out how to turn a mess into a message, Shipp has been through it all and has an unconventional method to get through to teens and their parents. The hour-long series will premiere on Friday, December 28, at 10:00PM ET/PT.
With his gritty approach, Shipp will confront the teens and their parents to identify the often deeply-seated roots of the problem and demonstrate the severity the teen's issues using real-life examples of cause and effect. Each teen will meet an array of current and former troubled teens - those whose lives mirror theirs - who did not get the help they needed; who have suffered gravely; who experienced disaster and whose lives still hang in the balance.
Teens featured on the series will experience first hand what their future holds if they don't make crucial changes - overnight stays in jail, spending the night in a morgue, sleeping on the street with prostitutes, being confronted with stories just like their own that ended in death. Shipp will deliver his brutally honest message of the damaging repercussions of rebellious decisions and actions, while his action plan for change will be positively reinforced. He will introduce the teens and their families to others who've experienced - and successfully overcome - similar challenges and are now living happy, productive lives, providing the hope and forgiveness necessary to make a major change.
At-risk teens have increasingly become a growing problem throughout the United States. According to The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, U.S. teens have the highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse in the world. In addition, American teens are much more likely to be killed by violent means than their European peers. Another recent survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University says about 17% of American high school students drink, smoke or use drugs during the school day.
Teen behavior specialist Josh Shipp helps adults understand teens and teens understand themselves. Abandoned at birth and thrown into many different foster homes, Shipp had a traumatic childhood. He was abused, addicted and suicidal, and knows what it means to be a teen in trouble. Thanks to caring adults, Shipp was able to overcome the most severe hardships and become a beacon for families in crisis. His work over the last decade has earned Shipp an international reputation as the "go to guy" when families need help. When teens are out of control and parents are out of options, he gets the call. Shipp, author of The Teen's Guide to World Domination (St. Martins Press), was featured on INC. magazine's "30 Under 30" list in 2009 and named a "Young Person Who Rocks" by CNN. He has a broad network of parents, educators and mental health professionals he can call upon for additional expertise. Shipp, himself, has lectured at elite universities, such as Harvard and Stanford, on the psychology of getting through to adolescents and has influenced countless teenagers through his work. Shipp is a frequent contributor for MTV, CNN, FOX, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC and numerous other media outlets.
A+E Networks will handle global sales for Teen Trouble.
Lifetime has ordered eight episodes of Teen Trouble, which will be produced by Ellen Rakieten Entertainment, a division of RelativityREAL. Ellen Rakieten (The
Oprah Winfrey Show, Losing it with Jillian) will executive produce with Bryn Freedman (Intervention, Who Do You Think You Are?), both mothers of teenagers, and Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy, Stephen H. Schwartz and Sandy Varo of Lifetime.
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