Helping  Mild, Moderate and Severe Behavioral Issues

Often, our clients have become accustomed to functioning in volatile environments. Parents and siblings of treatment-resistant kids are often victims of prolonged domestic abuse at the hands of a child, yet they don’t realize it. Instead, they report that they feel like they are being “held hostage” in their own homes or that their kid’s behavior is “rubbing off on the other kids.”  Frequently, the families with a troubled child have failed to find success using other intervention programs.

We serve in a wide range of behavior management issues in children ages 4 to 17.

While the level of severity varies, defiance, hostility and an ongoing refusal to comply with the wishes of parents or teachers are common themes. Generally, the families we work with have tried numerous other therapies and programs with no success.

Truancy, physical aggressiveness (frequently screaming and swearing at parents) and destruction of property are common. Some children in the families we help have been hospitalized in psychiatric units, been in trouble with the law and had multiple school suspensions and expulsions.

A significant portion of our clients are dealing with children who don’t have a formal diagnosis, but still are experiencing tremendous disruption and upheaval.

When there is a diagnosis, it may be with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder(ODD), bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, depression, conduct disorder and pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). We work with families dealing with children with many additional disorders.

We also work extensively with families with adopted children, who in some cases have reactive attachment disorder.

Children with less severe behavior problems (i.e. swearing at parents, truancy, etc.) benefit greatly from our program. Moderate to severe behaviors are addresses in the full 10-session program, while mild behavior issues can often be addressed with an accelerated program.

We are also skilled in working with children who have cognitive deficits ranging from the mild to the profound, including learning disabilities, slow processing speeds or working memory, sensory issues, traumatic brain injury,  Down Syndrome, Williams Syndromeand Smith-Magenis Syndrome, along with many more. Parents of such children often enroll their kids in programs specifically designed to support their development, while using our program to address behavioral issues. Children who are developmentally delayed may be eligible for services until the age of 21. In special circumstances, the age limit is waived.

Team Approach

The primary goal is to stabilize the child at home; a secondary goal is to stabilize the child’s behavior at school. All phone contact with school officials and other service providers is made at the request of the family and included in the Fair but Firm program. If the family requests face-to-face meetings, they will be bill separately through the IEP Advocacy program. IEP Advocacy services are available both as an add-on service to families enrolled in the Fair but Firm virtual program and as a stand-alone service for families who need advocacy.