Mode Deactivation Therapy for Aggression and Oppositional Behavior in Adolescents

Clinicians know that mental health disorders in adolescents may manifest externally as aggressiveness, opposition, or isolation from others. What’s less clear is just how to move beyond these conduct and defiance issues to help teenage clients cooperate with treatment so they can build healthy social skills and values.

Mode Deactivation Therapy for Treating Aggression and Oppositional Behavior in Adolescents combines the most effective aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) to meet the specific challenges of therapists working with angry, distrustful, or hostile adolescents. This evidence-based treatment program is effective with the most difficult-to-treat adolescents, especially those who struggle with anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Complete with assessments and client worksheets, this approach encourages young clients to see alternatives to their antisocial core beliefs and equips them with skills for gaining control of their emotions and oppositional behavior. The skills these clients learn will be useful long after adolescence, and can redirect their lives dramatically.

Jack A. Apsche, EdD, ABPP, is program director for the masters and doctorate programs in forensic psychology at Walden University. He developed, implemented, and tested mode deactivation therapy, a cognitive behavioral therapy focused on conceptualizing and treating adolescents.

Lucia R. DiMeo, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist. She is associate professor of psychology at the University of the Virgin Islands.

Foreword writer Robert J. Kohlenberg, PhD, ABPP, is professor of psychology at the University of Washington. He is cocreator of functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP).