Counseling the Defiant Child: A Basic Guide to Helping Troubled and Aggressive Youth

The defiant child presents a challenge to the therapist's patience as well as to his skill. To help clinicians grow in both, this volume by Dr. John B. Mordock draws on more than twenty-five years of experience with troubled children and their families. The author begins with the premise that children are children first and troubled children second, framing the work with a clear understanding of developmentally appropriate behaviors. Principles are illustrated with wonderful concrete examples, so that a beginning therapist can find the answers to such questions as what to do when the child continually subjects you to verbal abuse, or when the child won't leave the counseling room. Aggressive and defiant youngsters have made noncompliance a way of life. Conversations with such children, specifically aimed at counseling them, will be of significant help to social workers, teachers, and therapists. This is a guidebook for adults who seek to help children who are depressed, defiant, timid, or otherwise troubled. It is wise, readable, humorous, and filled with practical tips. Most importantly, it offers hope without false promises.