Help for the Hopeless Child: A Guide for Families

Designed specifically for families that have struggled for many years with an unmanageable child, this book focuses on innovative and aggressive assessment and treatment strategies for the most difficult child who has not responded to previous mental health interventions. Specialized sections of this book focus on dealing with the complexities of the internationally adopted child who has survived years of institutionalization. Clear and specific treatment strategies for all families are outlined in a very practical approach.

The most common complaint parents present to a mental health professional is that their child's behavior is inappropriate and in need of treatment. It is extremely common nowadays to hear parents describe their children as being completely out of control--often to the point where parents feel they are no longer able to manage the child within the home. The most common presenting problems are defiance of authority, uncontrollable temper tantrums and aggressive behaviors, manipulative and deceitful actions, substance abuse and sexual acting out, and chronic academic underachievement. Family relationships have become strained or everyone may have "given up" and become disengaged within the home.

This book consists of a very comprehensive, aggressive and innovative assessment and treatment program for those families having children who have been deemed "hopeless" or "untreatable." There has been a tremendous increase in the amount of children, both biological and adopted (United States and internationally) who have presented with significant cognitive, emotional and behavioral disorders; including "reactive attachment disorders" based on the profound effects of severe medical, nutritional, environmental and social-emotional neglect.

"Help for the Hopeless Child:A Guide for Families" offers a somewhat controversial and provocative approach in dealing with the most difficult children and their troubled families. Let me forewarn readers that my treatment program can be very rigorous and require great patience, diligence and dedication toward the concept of recreating family cohesiveness and unity.