Abstract

GOSCH, Cristiane Scolari  and  VANDENBERGHE, Luc. Behavior analysis and the therapist-child relation in the treatment of an aggressive-defiant pattern. Rev. bras. ter. comport. cogn. [online]. 2004, vol.6, n.2, pp. 173-182. ISSN 1517-5545.

This article discusses the treatment of defiant and aggressive behavior of a nine-year-old boy. The problem was analyzed in terms of the interactions the boy constructed in trying to cope with family and school environment. The treatment consisted in direct work with the child, bibliotherapy with the mother, and establishment of collaborative strategies with the adults involved, including discussions of the progresses they made. This report does not intend to show the efficacy of a planned intervention program. It illustrates the possibility of combining in a productive way strategies derived from applied behavior analysis (parent training and contingency-contracting) and of functional analytic psychotherapy (like working through the genuine relation between therapist and child), with the intention of breaking through the vicious circle in which the behaviors of the child and of the adults shaped and maintained each other.

Keywords : Functional analysis; Parent and teacher training; Child psychotherapy.