Clinician Administered Treatment Resources

Usually parents seek professional help when their child is exhibiting a behavioral problem, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or school refusal. Information on these and other child/adolescent well-being topics is available on this site. Research suggests that parent training programs are effective for treating oppositional behavior in children.^{1, 2} Parent Management Training involves helping parents learn new skills for dealing with oppositional and defiant behavior. Parents learn to consistently apply consequences (e.g. rewards and punishment) to shape compliant behavior in their children. In general, behavior therapy is an effective treatment for many pediatric behavioral problems. Usually treatment involves teaching parents behavioral interventions and skills that can be implemented at home. There are two primary skills that parents are taught during parent training: How to reinforce behavior that parents wants to increase, and punish behavior that parents wants to decrease.³ In addition, teachers play an important role in a young person’s treatment plan, as children and teens may also be exhibiting behavioral problems at school. It is important to work with all parties involved in managing the child’s or teen’s behavior, creating a strong support structure for families.

Training programs designed to support improved parenting skills:

• Problem Solving Communication Training may reduce parent-adolescent conflict. Parents and teens learn problem-solving skills including problem and solution identification, negotiating, brainstorming, and decision-making. Parents and teens also learn more effective communication skills when discussing family conflicts, such as watching tone of voice, minimizing put-downs, and demonstrating understanding.
• Behavioral Parent Training involves teaching parents behavior modification techniques that are based on social learning principles. Parents are encouraged to provide clear rules and structure in the child’s environment and consistent positive and negative consequences for corresponding child behavior. Specifically, parents target and monitor problem behaviors, reward positive social behavior through praise, positive attention, and rewards, and decrease unwanted behavior by ignoring minor or irritating behavior (e.g., complaining, fidgeting) and using time out or removal of privileges for more serious negative behavior (e.g., fighting). BPT has been shown to be effective in improving problematic child behavior and negative parent-child interactions.
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy PCIT is an evidenced-based treatment model with highly specified, step-by-step live coached sessions with both the parent/caregiver and the child. PCIT was initially targeted for families with children ages 2-7 with oppositional defiant and other externalizing behavior problems. It has been successfully adapted to help physically abusive parents who are caretakers of children ages 4-12. The goals of treatment are an improvement in the quality of the parent-child relationship; a decrease in child behavior problems with an increase in positive social behaviors; an increase in parenting skills, including positive discipline; and a decrease in parenting stress. Parents learn skills and receive coaching on how to implement skills as he or she interacts in specific play with the child. The treatment emphasis is on changing negative parent/caregiver child patterns.

Negotiating Parent-Adolescent Conflict: A Behavioral-Family Systems Approach
A. L. Robin & S. L. Foster

Defiant Children: A Clinician's Manual for Assessment and Parent Training
R. A. Barkley

Defiant Teens : A Clinician's Manual for Assessment and Family Intervention
R. Barkley, G. Edwards, & A. Robins

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
T. L. Hembree-Kigin & C. B. McNeil

Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Clinician's Guide for Parent Training
R. Forehand & R. J. McMahon

¹Walter, H. I., & Gilmore, S. K. (1973). Placebo versus social learning effects in parent training procedures designed to alter the behavior of aggressive boys. Behavior Therapy, 4, 361-377.

²Wells, K. C., & Egan, J. (1988). Social learning and systems family therapy for childhood oppositional disorder: Comparative treatment outcome. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 29, 138-146.

³Shriver, M. D. (1998). Teaching parenting skills. In. T. S. Watson & F. M. Gresham (Eds.). Handbook of child behavior therapy (pp. 165-182). New York: Plenum Press.