FAMILIES has been around a long time, but it is still the book I us most when working with troubled families. Based upon social learning theory FAMILIES presents a clear, consise explaination of how problem behaviors are created, and how they can be extinguished. Written in simple language, any literate parent can understand the simple but profound lessons contained in this book. During my 20 years as a social worker and educatior I have purchased numerous copies of this book and handed them out to parents who are struggling with their children. I use FAMILIES primarily to help parents who are having problems with their children, but I recommend it to all parents. In a kind way the book illustrates how troubled children are sometimes created by parental mistakes.

Gerald Paterson and Marion Forgatch provide practical, useful and effective suggestions on how to improve your parenting skills and thereby improve the behavior of your children. Replace negative, coercive parent/child interactions with more positive, reciprocal interactions. Volume I covers basic family managment skills: how to give effecitve instructions, how to set up household rules, how to design and implement a basic point system and so on. Part 1 teaches parents how to respond to specific adolescent behaviors and establish consequences that result in changes in their child's behavior. The principles in this book work well with kids aged 8 through 16. Some suggestions may not be as helpful for older teens, 17-18 years old. It's better if you read the book now, when your child is 8,9, or 10 than wait until your child is 17. Buy both volumes 1 and 2. Volume 2 covers Communication Skills, Problem Solving, Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol, School Problems and more. The two books are an excellent resource for child counselors and family therapists.

This is part 2 of a two volume set. See my review of part 1. Although some parents may lean towards buying only one, you'll learn more if you read both volumes. Much of the information in part 2 assumes an understanding of the principles discussed in part 1. Part 2 covers communication and problem solving skills and how these skills can be applied to solve sexuality, academic difficulties, drugs and alcohol use. The last two chapters provide an excellent discussion on compliance vs oppositional/defiant behavior in children. You may want to look up other books by Marion Forgatch and Gerald Patterson. They are basic researchers in the field of child psychology and behavior who take their research findings (and the works of others) and present them in nontechnical terms for parents and mental health professionals.