Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

If you’re a parent of a toddler or preschooler, you might be feeling stuck in the daily power struggles and lost in the sea of conflicting parenting information about what to do. If you're an expecting or new parent, you might be struggling to manage your own stress, anxiety, or sleep problems. It is not uncommon for me to hear parents say, “I love my child, but it’s hard, because everything’s a fight.” A strategy session may be all you need to recalibrate a starting point and find your footing.

When children act out persistently so that it causes serious problems at home, in school, or with peers, they may be diagnosed with ODD. For younger children, the treatment with the strongest evidence is behavior therapy training for parents, where a therapist helps the parent learn effective ways to strengthen the parent-child relationship and respond to the child’s behavior. Dr. Edwards provides behavioral parent training online.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is defined as a pattern of disruptive, and noncompliant behaviors (anger, outbursts, defiance, etc ) usually directed towards an authority figure like parents and teachers. These behaviors can cause significant distress for both the parents and the child. Behavioral parent training has been shown to be effective in helping parents manage difficult behaviors and reduce family stress.

I am trained and certified in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), which is for 2-7 year old's that may display anger/aggression, ADHD symptoms, and oppositional to commands. PCIT is an evidenced based model, which yields high success when utilized.

Research has consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for treating children 2-7 years of age with Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

I utilize a number of different therapies including, but not limited to, behavioral therapy, family therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (see PCIT.org) is a very well-researched and effective family therapy for children who argue, refuse to follow directions, and may even be aggressive. It helps parents enjoy their children again, reinforce and increase desired behaviors, and also respond calmly and consistently to misbehavior so that it decreases, typically within 12-20 sessions. In office or virtual. I also have several years’ experience working with foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers.

You noticed the increasing presence of heightened emotions, refusal to follow directions, constant arguing, and difficulty getting along with others. Your child is easily frustrated and becomes angry on a daily basis. I work to resolve behavioral and emotional difficulties by identifying the source and creating a plan for your child to engage in effective communication, control negative impulses, manage anger responses, and increase compliance.