Book review: How to Think About Caring for a Child with Difficult Behaviour

How to Think about Caring for a Child with Difficult BehaviourLynn Baxter is a senior social work

by Dr Joanna North
Watershed Publications, 2009 
ISBN: 9780952871330

I wish I had written this book, writes Lynn Baxter! It is an excellent handbook for foster carers and adoptive parents in particular, but all child care workers and parents would benefit from it.
Dr North maintains that the best way to help troubled children is to show that you are aware of and can manage your own thoughts and state of mind, which demonstrates you can help them manage their own.
She provides exercises to help carers recognise and reflect on their own emotional “triggers” and how they can practice more helpful and controlled respones to children’s behaviour.
Dr North also explains the relevant aspects of a number of theories such as attachment and cognitive behaviour therapy and applies them to examples of children’s challenging behaviour.
Carers are encouraged to recognise when they need more support and she points out some children need a long time to feel safe enough to change their own behaviour.

Lynn Baxter is a senior social work

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