You see it every day on TV talk shows. Kids start out mouthy, and parents are screaming. But by the end of the 50-minute program they’re hugging. So how come your family doesn’t work like that?
How come you can’t get your teen to pick up his feet, never mind pick up his grades? And it’s not just his sliding grades that worry you. It’s the fact that he’s stayed out a few nights with some friends you’re
really not comfortable about, and his language lately has been more
than snarly. Is he just going through a bad phase, or is this a sign of something more serious going on?

Alarmed and Dangerous Professionals who work with troubled children admit it’s not easy to tell the difference between a “normally” rebellious youth and a teen who is at-risk. Dr. Kenneth Hardy is a Professor of Family Therapy in Philadelphia who has worked extensively with youth in crisis or turmoil. Dr. Hardy comments
that coping with adolescents can be a daunting prospect. Teens normally “act out”—every parent recognizes “testing the limits.” But some teens also engage in more serious, risky behaviours. Sometimes it’s hard for parents to know when a youth has really gone beyond the limits, and needs some kind of outside intervention.