Collaborating with Parents to Reduce Childrens Behavior Problems: A book for Therapists Using the Incredible Years Programs

Approximately 2/3 of all children referred to mental health agencies are labelled as having Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These children are at increased risk for poor outcomes including academic failure, deviant peer groups, drug use, violence, and delinquency. Identifying and treating these children as early as possible offers promise for strengthening child protective factors such as social, emotional, and academic competence and effective parenting, thereby preventing and reducing the development of conduct problems and other secondary risk factors. The book has two elements -- first it allows parents to tell their stories: sharing what it is like to have a "problem" child as well as the long and painful route to finding support and recovery through parent and child training. The book also elucidates in detail the "collaborative process" of therapists working together with families. This process combines the knowledge and expertise of the clinician with the unique strengths, perspectives, culture and goals of parents. Essentially the goal is to empower parents by making them active partners in the therapy process, teaching them parenting strategies to cope effectively with their child and strengthen their relationship as well as build support networks. The book uses case examples to illustrate these points and provides examples of how to tailor the parent programs for high-risk populations and multicultural families. Examples of when and how to add adjunct therapies such as child and teacher training are also discussed, providing a comprehensive guide for the collaborative process for therapists using the Incredible Years® programs.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to Child Conduct Disorders; Overview of Treatment Approaches and Research; Parenting a Child with Conduct Disorders: "Families Under Siege"; Content of Incredible Years® Parenting Pyramid Foundation--Building Children's Social and Emotional Competence; Content of Incredible Years® Parenting Pyramid Foundation: Typical Parent Questions; Content of Incredible Years® Parenting Pyramid Discipline: Reducing Children's Behavior Problems; Content of Incredible Years® Parenting Pyramid Discipline: Typical Questions; Working with Parents of Children with Conduct Problems: The Collaborative Process Using Theory Driven Clinical Principles; Therapist Roles in Facilitating the Collaborative Learning Process; Parents Undergoing Therapy: An Experience of Gaining Knowledge and Control; Affirming Diversity: Maintaining Program Fidelity while Achieving Cultural Sensitivity; The Incredible Years Child Dinosaur Social; Emotional and Problem-Solving Skills Program; Tailoring the IY Parent and Child Programs for Child Welfare Referred Families; Case Example: Targeting Multiple Areas of Risk with a Coordinated Approach; Epilogue and Future Directions.

About the Author :
Dr Carolyn Webster-Stratton is a licensed clinical psychologist, nurse practitioner, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington. Over the past four decades, she has developed and researched the Incredible Years Parent, Teacher and Children's series that consists of interlocking, evidence-based programs designed to promote children's social, emotional and academic competence and to prevent and reduce behaviour problems. She has been the recipient of the prestigious National Mental Health Research Scientist Award and awards from American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Parenting Group. She is the mother of two, a grandmother, and lives in Seattle with her husband.