Home is where we blossom from: Intervening where it counts for children and adolescents with aggression and conduct problems

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Presenting author

David Galbraith

Organisation

Independent

The importance of working with parents and families of children and adolescents with aggression and conduct problems is well documented. It is considered best practice to include the parents or family of a child or adolescent with aggression and conduct problems in any therapy program aiming to help this population 'blossom'. It is also widely acknowledged that the most powerful change agent with parents and families is the therapeutic relationship developed with the clinician. Unfortunately parents and families of children and adolescents with aggression and conduct problems are often incredibly difficult to engage into assessment or therapy, or to keep them engaged once hooked.

The parents and families often interact with each other, and with the clinician, in a distrusting, defensive, angry, aggressive, highly emotional and threatening manner. This workshop will provide a practical look at the steps involved in engaging these parents and families into therapy, and keeping them hooked.

The workshop will use discussion and role play to explore the critical steps with parents and families to achieve 'real' therapy engagement and ongoing internal motivation:

relationship building and gaining informed consent;
gaining internal leverage to change;
goal setting; and
making the use of a formal therapy review process throughout their therapy journey.

Presentation

Paper in the conference theme areas: 'Blossoming of our Children' and 'Child abuse in the context of Family Violence'

Biography

NZ Registered Clinical Psychologist; Completed my Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology from Auckland University in 2000.

My work history includes working with the SAFE Organisation in Auckland from 1997 to 2001. SAFE is New Zealand's largest community treatment agency for male adolescent and adult sexual offenders. I currently work for CYFS Specialist Services in Hamilton. I also do occasional private assessments with children and adolescents with a variety of behaviour and psychological problems.