Parenting the Difficult Child

Every child is unique in his or her personality, emotions and behaviors. Even within the same family we may find one child who is easy to teach and manage, and another who requires much more effort and patience. With a difficult child parents may feel that they have lost control or are repetitively in a power struggle. Such conflict is usually terribly difficult for both parents and child.

At Chestnut Hill Counseling Associates we have helped hundreds of parents to regain a sense of harmony with their children and to get back to the satisfaction that should be part of parenting.

• First, a specialist meets with you and your child to examine the child's history, to talk about the specific behavior problems you having and to get to know any special circumstances or resources in your family that might be helpful in solving your child's problem. It often works best to have the whole family play a role and be part of the solution.
• Next, the therapist works with you to develop a behavior program tailored to your family's needs, the needs of your child, and your special circumstances. As progress is made over time, we work with you to adjust and fine tune your behavior program.
• With parent's permission, the therapist often contacts the child's teacher or school counselor to coordinate with school programs or to recommend classroom changes that might benefit the child.
• In certain cases, medication can play a role in helping a child to regulate his or her emotions and to adjust to changes in the family. Your therapist helps you to make your decision by discussing fully advantages and disadvantages of medication for your child. If the decision is made to go ahead, we refer you to your pediatrician or one of our medical providers for a medical evaluation and treatment. This decision is always made with you as an active participant in the process. Your therapist welcomes active participation by your pediatrician whose judgment you have come to trust.

As a result of treatment you can generally expect to see significant improvement in your relationship with your child.

Remember: Parent/child relationships don't usually improve without active efforts to change them. Let us help you get the relationship with your child back on track.