Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Emotional and Behavioural Problems with Adolescents

Abstract

Children undergo a variety of interrelated changes in their adolescence and at times most children exhibits difficult behaviours. The problem becomes more severe in adopted children because such status of adoption affects various aspects of the developing personality. Feeling of rejection in early childhood generates a tendency of insecurity and fear in these children and to overcome from these beliefs they adopt aggressive behaviour. Psychotherapy with adolescents is different in a number of substantive ways from adults, because an adolescent is a person who is no longer a child but is not yet an adult. They are special population for whom psychotherapeutic intervention needs to be customized considering the emotional and behavioural exigencies. Identification and changing unhealthy thoughts and behaviours is the central idea of CBT and is becoming the treatment of choice for children and adolescents. The chapter deals with application of CBT in adolescent.