Parent Training in Behavior Management:
First-line, Evidence-based Treatment for ADHD-like Behaviors
While recommended by the CDC and manualized by the American Academy of Pediatrics as the first-line evidence-based treatment for young children with ADHD and ADHD-like behaviors, Parent Training in Behavior Management (PTBM) remains frequently off the radar of many clinicians and parents as most are led to prematurely diagnose young children, prescribed only medication management for ADHD, referred to child-driven play therapy not targeting behavioral intervention, and struggle to find access to behavioral parent training. A surge of digital self-guided parent training programs keeps many parents alone at home feeling helpless and hopeless, as their anecdotal experiences match the research revealing parent training interventions are far more successful when individually tailored to the needs of each family and adapted to the mental health of the child and parent. Counselors are needed with their skills of observational assessment and tailoring treatment plans to provide personalized parent training that targets the unique needs of each family system, and to go beyond the initial reported symptom set of the child’s behaviors to include treating the symptoms of distress and mental health revealed through motivational interviewing, informal assessment, examining child behaviors, and consistent emotional and mental processing and reframing of activated parent-child exchanges as the parent implements at-home behavioral interventions with their child.
Previously championed by ABA behavioral therapists working in schools for autism management, Parent Training in Behavior Management is growing in application and effectiveness among mental health practitioners who are trained to guide parents through processing the many personal factors affecting how they show up as parents. Parent Training is often called Parent Management Training (PMT), also known as Behavioral Parent Training (BPT), parent skills training, and other similar labels. There’s an overwhelming amount of published parenting advice out there. Which one works? Well, that’s the dilemma. It’s not about the tips, tricks, and tools. It’s about how you’re functioning as parent and interacting with your child’s behaviors. Mostly, we just can’t see ourselves objectively and get limited by our own perspectives. That’s why we need to reach out for professional guidance and training.
Come create a tailored approach to your parenting that is ideal for your unique values and goals and get weekly support as you struggle and experiment with the skills you attempt to implement. Parenting brings up the hard personal work of examining your own emotional reactivity, where it comes from, and training yourself to build new habits.
Don’t stay stuck or drowning. Invest in you and your family by doing the work to receive the training you need.
Call/text (972) 379-7807 or email tricia@mightandmindcounseling.com to get started!
For children with custody arrangements between households, I recommend joint sessions for all willing co-parents in tandem with separate sessions for each household. Parent Coaching is not the appropriate avenue for seeking mediation, custody recommendations, or court evidence for custody battles. If you are a parent looking for help with child custody battles, you will need to seek out a Forensic Psychologist or Forensic Counselor certified to perform Child Custody Evaluations. You may also seek out Parenting Fascilitators for professional coparenting support, recommendations, and custody testimony in court.