ABSTRACT
Adolescents drop out of various forms of therapy at alarmingly high rates. In one national study of clinics treating adolescent substance abuse and behavioral problems, 77% of the sample of clinically referred teenagers left treatment before the end of the 90-day program. Reviews have estimated that a 40%–60% dropout rate for teenagers is normative. At the same time, consider how the experts come to the aid of clinicians working with teenagers; they use terms such as the tough adolescent, the defiant adolescent, the difficult adolescent, and the aggressive adolescent. Creating as much as reflecting reality, these descriptors show an author’s hand. They are a tell. 1
