Defiant Teens: A Clinician's Manual for Assessment and Family Intervention

by Russell A. Barkley, Gwenyth H. Edwards, Arthur L. Robin

This authoritative manual presents an 18-step program designed both to teach parents the skills they need to manage difficult adolescent behavior and to improve family relationships overall. The first nine steps of the program modify the approach presented in Russell A. Barkley's DEFIANT CHILDREN, SECOND EDITION, to focus on developmental concerns of adolescence. The authors delineate clear procedures for assessing defiance in teens and working with parents, alone or in groups, to reverse problem behavior. Steps 10 through 18 are conducted with parents and teenagers together, utilizing a proven family therapy model developed by Arthur L. Robin and Sharon Foster. Clinicians are shown how to help all family members learn to negotiate, communicate, and problem-solve more effectively, while facilitating adolescents' individuation and autonomy. Featuring a lay-flat binding for ease of photocopying, the book includes reproducible forms that enable clinicians to gauge the nature, diversity, and severity of parent/n-/adolescent conflicts; assess for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD); and evaluate parental psychological adjustment. Reproducible handouts for families reinforce crucial ideas and skills imparted in-session.

Genres: Nonfiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 1999

About the author

Russell A. Barkley (born 1949) is a clinical psychologist who is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina and an author of books on ADHD. Involved in research since 1973 and a licensed psychologist since 1977, he is an expert on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has devoted much of his scientific career to studying ADHD and related problems in children. His research interests include childhood defiance.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is intended for practicing counselors and clinicians, parents and teachers with suitable background reading can benefit from this book.

My teen has recently been diagnosed with ODD, and the ADHD guides and trauma integration exercises were not helping (because he refused to do them: see ODD). This book was very helpful, first, in that it has several actionable items and tools that can be used right away. We are using the points system; the second day, my teen said he likes it because it's "like a game." We are going to add the second component of the system next weekend, so my fingers are already crossed. There are a few other options if this system doesn't work for the family, although it's important that any/all tools be implemented with attention, care, and general good parenting techniques.

The second thing that was useful was seeing how close we were and how many things we were getting right. Any struggling parent deserves a list of all the things they are already doing right, and we were so close.

At the same time, it was very frustrating to read this: the introduction and general discussion of ODD includes all the things that are likely to happen if the condition isn't properly diagnosed, and all the harm this can bring to all members of the family. This exactly what happened to us, and I cannot think about the years (years) wasted in a downward spiral while we begged everyone-- from the state to the schools to doctors to counselors-- for help, knowing this wasn't right, something else was going on. It makes me feel sick to think of it, how often we were waved aside with "that's how ADHD is" and "welcome to puberty, first-time parents." No one should have to experience what we have as a family before getting this diagnosis.