Myth: The therapist should focus on and problem solve what the parent is doing wrong in order to change it.
When working with parents of children with behavioral difficulties, you may want to hash out some things that the parent is doing wrong and try to fix those things. A better way to help is to find some things that the parent is doing well and work on strengthening those. For example, if a parent is sometimes praising a child for good behaviors, that is something to focus on. Let the parent know how great this is, practice effective praise in sessions with him or her, and work on increasing this praise at home. This is how you will create change for the whole family!