ABSTRACT
Naturally feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and failure are going to well up as a parent's very connection to her own child shifts from loving parent to frightened watchdog and prospective caretaker. Parents might observe and identify possible ways that day-to-day functioning reinforces the child's problematic behavior. They might then alter the sequence of events that are unwittingly perpetuating the unwanted patterns of behavior. Each parent and each child who come into contact with the mental health system will have a different experience. Parents might use less coercion and less reliance on external cues or directives when helping the child meet socio-cultural expectations; this helps to develop autonomy and independence. They can set firmer limits on the extent to which they will accommodate their child's behaviors during times of troublesome responding, and thus require the child to meet them halfway.
