Clare Rowe, Child Psychologist speaks about Managing Conflict. 

[ReachOut.com]

[Clare speaks]
Having conflict in families is a really normal part of life - mainly because you've got a bunch of people living together and at times they are going to irritate each other.
But, teenage years can be particularly difficult because it's developmentally normal for teenagers to forge their own identity away from their parents, and hit back against discipline, and being told what to do. It is all normal, but you add to that hormonal changes and family stress of multiple siblings and work stress and we've got a bit of a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Ask any parent of a teenager and they’ll often say “What doesn't cause conflict in my home!?”

[Conflict causes: Screen time, Not listening, Financial demands]
From the outset it could be a million different triggers. From screen time to not wanting to do what they've been told, to financial demands. But essentially underneath family conflict is this same power battle that's going on as teenagers try to assert themselves and try to gain independence from their parents. Managing conflict for parents within the home can be really hard. 

[Parental authority: Boundaries, Expectations, Consequences]
The first step I usually try and advise parents is to try and maintain that parental authority figure. You can do this by setting boundaries and expectations and having consequences field teenager for their choices in behaviour. Teenagers like any other age of child still need to know that there are boundaries and that there will be repercussions if they step over these boundaries. 

[Don’t take things personally]
So the other thing parents can do to try and manage conflict in their home, is really trying not to take things personally - which is really hard - so from slamming doors to saying I hate you, try not to take hurtful language and behaviour personally. Try and keep your emotions in check when you see this from your teenager. By doing this you'll not only modelling good coping skills in front of your child but you're preventing an escalation of their own emotions and behaviours. 
One of the things I like to suggest when I'm working with families that are in high conflict is that all family members sit down and we make a family contract.

[Family Contract: All family members, Including siblings, Expectations] 
It's really important that all family members - including siblings - are involved in this process and it outlines things like expectations of how we're going to treat each other and the consequences if we don't meet those expectations. A simple strategy like this can work because everyone's hold accountable and also all family members can have their say. 

[ReachOut.com]
This video was produced with the help of 90seconds Productions on behalf of ReachOut Australia.