Mode Deactivation Therapy for Aggression and Oppositional Behavior in Adolescents

Adolescents who exhibit oppositional or aggressive behavior often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression, but diagnosing their conditions isn't the challenge for most therapists. Rather, distrust of therapists and unwillingness to cooperate with treatment most often keep these teens from moving beyond their destructive behaviors and finding real solutions to their problems. Mode Deactivation Therapy for Aggression and Oppositional Behavior in Adolescents is a treatment manual for therapists working with adolescents who have oppositional defiant disorder, hostile behaviors, anger issues, and aggression. These teens often clash with authority figures in school, if they attend at all, and may be hostile and oppositional in social settings. Unlike similar professional treatments, this protocol does not invalidate teens' beliefs and encourages teens to cooperate and openly participate in the therapeutic process.
The book is based in mode deactivation therapy, a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, functional analytic psychotherapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy that the authors developed specifically to meet the needs of this population. Therapists will learn how to get through to their clients, identify the function of teens' negative and destructive behaviors, dismantle negative beliefs endorsed by their clients, and teach mindfulness, defusion, and acceptance strategies. Through validation, clarification, and redirection, therapists can change the lives of oppositional teens dramatically.