George M. Kapalka - Parenting Your Out-of-Control Child: An Effective, Easy-to-Use Program for Teaching Self-Control

George M. Kapalka, Ph.D., ABPP, is director of the Center for Behavior Modification in Brick, NJ, and associate professor of psychological counseling at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. He earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and holds board certifications in several areas of practice, including clinical psychology, psychopharmacology, child mental health services, and learning disabilities. He has authored nearly 100 research studies, publications, and professional presentations, and currently he is editor of the New Jersey Journal of Professional Counseling. He is school-certified in New Jersey, heads a state-approved independent child study team, and is a member of medical staff at Meridian Health Systems Brick Hospital.

Foreword writer Mark S. Kiselica, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, a nationally certified counselor, a licensed professional counselor, and a professor of counselor education at the College of New Jersey. He is author of more than 100 professional publications, including Multicultural Counseling with Teenage Fathers, the Handbook of Counseling Boys and Adolescent Males, and Counseling Troubled Boys. Kiselica served as a consulting scholar to the Federal Fatherhood Initiative during the Clinton Administration, and he is a fellow and former president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity.

This book provides a practical road map for anyone wishing to implement a successful program for children with behavior management problems. It is designed for parents and caregivers of children with challenging behavioral difficulties, but its applications are not limited to this group alone. Anyone working with children who are struggling with behavior management difficulties should have this valuable book available to them.

Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D., ABPP, is professor of public health, psychology, pediatrics and psychiatry and behavioral sciences and dean of the College of Health Professions at Temple University

This is a terrific book that will be a valuable resource for parents with children and adolescents. Kapalka has written a highly readable, practical book that incorporates the latest ideas about handling difficult children. It is filled with great examples that will help all parents. This book will go to the top of my suggested readings list.

James H. Bray, Ph.D., author of Stepfamilies: Love, Marriage, and Parenting in the First Decade

A wonderful resource, this book is succinct, practical, and clearly written. It offers many useful suggestions and plans that can be easily carried out within the context of parenting training and behavior therapy. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to psychologists, mental health practitioners, parents, and graduate students in training. I will personally use it in my practice and on my syllabi.

Margaret Alvarez, Psy.D., MSCP, Brain Behavior Center in Pomona, NY

There is no users guide to being a parent, but Kapalka has provided the next best thing. This easy-to-read book provides clear and concise strategies that all parents can employ with their children. Parents, educators, and counselors alike can effective solutions to many troubling parenting dilemmas. Best of all, Kapalka has offered parents a method for creating a healthy family environment in which parents and children have the opportunity to be responsible, respected, and happy.

Matt Englar-Carlson, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling at the California State University at Fullerton

This is a must-read for every parent concerned about their childs behavior. Kapalka offers solid, concrete recommendations that are well-grounded in the psychological literature, providing parents with wise advice and needed practical tools that allow them to deal with being overwhelmed by their childs behavior. I especially enjoyed the real-life examples and was impressed with the down-to-earth approach that Kapalka adopts in offering his suggestions. It is a well-written, engrossing text that I recommend with unqualified enthusiasm.

Stephen R. Wester, Ph.D., is associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

This book pulls together the best practices in parenting today to address the problems of parenting the strong-willed child. Kapalka has effectively identified key areas of parenting problems, spelled out an effective approach to resolving the difficulties, and described how to move from conflict to cooperation. This easy-to-read text will be a blessing to parents in need of effective guidance, as well as to practitioners who work with them. It is highly recommended for its practical applications, reasonable guidelines, and helpful examples.

Arthur Horne, Ph.D., distinguished research professor emeritus in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services of the College of Education at the University of Georgia

Kapalka has written a very readable and useful book on parenting skills. The book is well organized and cuts to the heart of the issues and potential solutions for parents and therapists alike.

Mark Stevens, Ph.D., director of University Counseling Services at the California State University, Northridge, and president of Division 51 of the American Psychological Association

Kapalka has written a wonderful book, giving parents an excellent addition to works from Barkley and others. His writing demonstrates that he understand difficult children and the problems parents run into when they try to help them grow up successfully in an ever changing environment. Perhaps most importantly, Kapalka clearly understands what it takes to be a competent parent. He is gentle yet firm in his convictions when advising his readers to embrace their roles as parents. This book is now required reading for my patient-parents and my post-doctoral fellows.

John Courtney, Psy.D., MP, is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and neurology at Tulane University Health Science Center

This book gives parents an easy-to-read understanding of their out of control child. The practical understanding Kapalka offers helps parents better understand what is occurring in their children. Being out of control becomes far more predictable with the insights and strategies this book offers. I can certainly recommend it for my patients and their families.

Thomas M. Kozak, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Texas and Michigan

Kapalkas clear yet theoretically well grounded approach lays out a roadmap for parents that stresses the positive and optimizes the chance to experience successfor both the parent and the child. This book will serve as a wonderful resource to the parents of impulsive children with limited self-control. I heartily recommend it.

Leslie H. MacCardell, Ph.D., is a clinical child psychologist in private practice

I highly recommend this book because it is very practical, easy to understand, and detailed in its description of steps parents can follow to manage behavior problems both in and out of the home. The books progression and repetition of the content makes this difficult topic easy for parents to learn. It should be a very valuable treatment resource for therapists who work with parents needing help with child behavior management problems. I certainly plan on using it in my practice. It should be a very valuable contribution to the parenting literature.

Ed Kovach, Ph.D., psychologist in private practice in Clarksville, TN

A wonderful addition to the list of books I recommend to the families with whom I work. As a child psychologist who works with children who are strong-willed and hard to manage, I found this book to provide a comprehensive and well-thought out plan for child management. Kapalka took the concepts of Russell Barkley and expanded on them in an extremely thorough and user-friendly way. Kapalka provides lots of detailed examples and specifics about the sometimes-complex interventions. This book should be read by all who have children.