Thomas, the 15-year-old son of a single mother working in retail sales, has just been suspended for the second time during eighth grade, this time for bullying a classmate. Thomas had been repeating the eighth grade due to academic failure resulting from absenteeism and poor study habits during the previous school year. Thomas has been ditching school and hanging out with his friends, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, and playing cards. Because he can pass for 18 years old, Thomas is also able to use a fake ID to purchase beer for himself and his friends; he not infrequently resorts to shoplifting when he is unable to take money out of his mother’s purse. Thomas has been sexually active with several girlfriends since he was 13 years old; he rarely uses condoms. On one occasion, Thomas was detained by the police because of fighting while intoxicated; his mother was called to pick him up at the precinct station. Thomas was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder during the third grade. However, his mother, who works two jobs to make ends meet, currently does not have health insurance, and consequently Thomas has not been taking his usual Ritalin. Because his mother is usually not home, Thomas is able to avoid doing his homework assignments. When his mother occasionally confronts his antisocial behavior, Thomas typically flies into a rage and storms out of the house.