There are five important steps to healthy communication with your child. Begin using these steps today and you can reduce the chance your child will act out his anger and become a statistic.

Step 1. Have an open-door policy. Lots of teenagers tell me, "But I couldn't talk to my mother about that." You should encourage your child to come to you to talk about anything and everything. No question or problem should be too silly, too embarrassing, or too unimportant. When your child comes to you, always take the time to listen -- and take the question or topic seriously.

Step 2. Teach communication techniques. You want your child to put feelings into words. Teach her how to do this. Encourage her when she is mad or frustrated to tell you how she is feeling. When she does tell you how she feels, make sure you respond positively, further encouraging her to always use language -- rather than aggressive actions.

Step 3. Have patience and good listening skills. This is an important part of communicating, too. It takes a lot of patience with children to hear what they're saying and to show interest by using eye contact and giving appropriate responses. No matter how busy you are, do not neglect to take the time to help your child tell you what he's thinking or what's bothering him.