Numerous books have been written for adults who grew up coping with troubled and difficult parents. Often the adults who read these books say, I wish someone had told me that when I was a kid; it might have helped me so much. Unfortunately, not much has been written for the kids who are coping in the present with difficult or troubled parents. This book is written out of the belief that intelligent kids can use sound ideas to improve their lives, either on their own or with the help of healthy adults. It will offer help in sorting out whether a difficult situation may be a result of a parent’s problems. In this new third edition, changes have been made throughout in order to update and refine the author’s ideas. Two new chapters have been added, as well. The first new chapter addresses parents who tell lies. Dishonest parents are motivated in several different ways, but all dishonest parents pose special problems for their children. The second chapter discusses the idea that all parents have problems some of the time. In this chapter, the author helps young people look at the challenges posed by recognizing that all parents, even excellent ones, have shortcomings, and it differentiates between the ordinary shortcomings that all parents have and more serious problems in parenting. This book is an excellent resource for therapists, school counselors, group leaders, and others who work with children and teenagers and who want reading materials to recommend to them.

Approximately 2/3 of all children referred to mental health agencies are labeled 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, violenece, and deliquency. Identifying and treating these children as early as possible offers promise for stregnthening 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 thier 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 familes. This process combines the knowledge and expertise of the clinician with the unique stregnths, 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 stregnthen 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.

Lack of friends * poor self-image * sibling rivalry * hyperactivity * sadness and fearfulness * eating problems * nervous habits * aggressive behavior * defiance * sleep problems * lying * learning disabilities. . . Even normal children can have problems. And parents can help them. That is the powerful assurance Dr. Stanley Turecki offers parents in this compassionate and practical book. Whatever the situation, Dr. Turecki shows you: A new way to understand your child's difficulties and gain insights into causes and solutions How to discuss problems without destructive arguments and win your child's cooperation How to strengthen self-esteem by making the most of your child's individual temperament How to improve discipline by focusing on planning and prevention rather than punishment How to collaborate with teachers about school problems What to do if you are told that your child should be tested for ADD or placed on medication When to seek professional help Including vivid vignettes illustrating a wide range of problems and how they were successfully resolved, this award-winning book is destined to become a parenting classic.

A large segment of the population struggles with feelings of being detached from themselves and their loved ones. They feel flawed, and blame themselves. Running on Empty will help them realize that they're suffering not because of something that happened to them in childhood, but because of something that didn't happen. It's the white space in their family picture, the background rather than the foreground. This will be the first self-help book to bring this invisible force to light, educate people about it, and teach them how to overcome it.

We are used to having our parents help us, but how do we handle it when the tables are turned and our parents are the ones who need help? Declining health, financial needs, divorce, relational issues—what’s an adult child’s role when their parents are struggling? Counselor Jim Newheiser understands the many types of challenges adults may face ...

From leading researchers, this book presents important advances in understanding how growing up in a discordant family affects child adjustment, the factors that make certain children more vulnerable than others, and what can be done to help. It is a state-of-the-science follow-up to the authors' seminal earlier work, Children and Marital Conflict: The Impact of Family Dispute and Resolution. The volume presents a new conceptual framework that draws on current knowledge about family processes; parenting; attachment; and children's emotional, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral development. Innovative research methods are explained and promising directions for clinical practice with children and families are discussed.