What’s Going on In There? The Neuroscience of the Adolescent Brain by Kathryn Berkett
Published by Mary Egan Publishing
Publication date: November 2025
PB, 208pp, RRP $35.00
ISBN: 9781067087517
When puberty hits and our young people seem to change overnight, it can feel overwhelming and hard to navigate. What’s Going on in There? explains what is happening in the teenage brain, using clear, relatable language backed by neuroscience.
Adolescence is the most intense period of brain development since early childhood. This book breaks down the huge physical and chemical changes happening beneath the surface, including shifts in dopamine, facial recognition, hormones and more, helping you make sense of your young person’s behaviour.
Behaviours that seem ‘moody’, ‘avoidant’, or ‘reckless’ can be reframed as biological responses to intense change. Understanding this stage as a temporary, essential upgrade allows us to respond with more empathy and less confusion.
Whether you are a parent, caregiver, teacher or youth worker, this book will help you stay calm, stay connected and support the incredible development unfolding in front of you.
The better we support this stage, the better the outcome. For them, and for us.
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Kathryn says: “A mother of two, I wrote What’s Going On In There? for other parents, youth workers, other whānau members and teachers. This book is really for anyone who struggles with the fact that adolescents behave so differently during that upgrade time. My absolute hope is that it helps adults get a better understanding of what is going on for teens during this period of change so they can relax a little and allow their relationship to grow.
“I hear so many stories of parents who have worried, stressed, acted punitively to their adolescents, then heard me and said, “wow, I wish I had known this”. The young person often turns out to be just fine. The behaviour at the time was due to all the disruption, the upgrading going on. It wasn’t an indication of who they were going to be for the rest of their lives. This book hopefully communicates that.”
“Having the information is one thing. Kathryn’s gift is making it land.”
About the author
Kathryn Berkett has spent her adult life exploring how the brain develops and how it shapes our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. She holds a Master’s in Educational Psychology and is completing a second in Applied Neuroscience through King’s College, London. A certified practitioner of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Kathryn runs her own business delivering talks and training that make neuroscience, biology and psychology accessible and engaging for every audience. She is endlessly curious, constantly learning, and passionate about sharing knowledge that helps people understand themselves and others.
Kathryn lives in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, where she continues to marvel at the remarkable adults her two grown children have become.
For review copies, interview requests or media enquiries, please contact:
Kate Gordon-Smith
021 587227
kate@relishcommunications.co.nz