Got An Angry Kid? Parenting Spike: A Seriously Difficult Child [Paperback]

Andrew D. Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2009

Does your family live in conflict?

Does your child have a psychiatric label (such as ADHD, oppositional defiance, conduct disorder, bi-polar disorder) or the behavior that would get him/her one?

Have you lost (or nearly lost) control of your child?

If you answered YES to any of these three things, then PACT can help you as it has helped thousands of other families restore love and integrity to their relationships!

What Others Say About Got An Angry Kid? and The PACT Training Program

"The family is much calmer. Taking PACT Training was the best decision I ever made. It's the best hard work I've ever done. PACT was the light at the end of the tunnel for us."
--Ms. K. D., Willimantic, CT, Mom and Dad of an adolescent girl placed in foster care

"From my professional experience as a manager in the field, PACT is one of the very few services which has been held in high regard by our professional staff as well as the families which benefitted from Dr. Gibson's excellent program."
--Ms. Helen Lawrence (retired) Connecticut State Department of Children and Families (CTSDCF)

"I have had to fight for every service for my family. PACT is my best chance to [create] change. Thanks for everything."
--Ms. K.M., Vernon, CT, single Mom of an out-of-control son

"Although I was only a few weeks into PACT, I felt myself becoming calmer, more hopeful, and more in control. PACT is putting life into my parenting and does what three years of residential placement didn't."
--Mrs D.W., Hamden, CT, single Mom of a seriously emotionally disturbed boy

"Again, I can't say enough about how this program has changed my life."
--Mr. L.C., New Milford, CT, single parent of a foster child

"PACT and Got An Angry Kid? is brilliant."
--Parenting consultant

About the Author

Dr. Gibson earned his PhD in Education at the University of Connecticut in 1987 under the tutelage of Richard Bloomer. He poured everything about his childhood and his experience as a parent went into what became Parenting Angry Children and Teens (PACT) Training and the book, "Got An Angry Kid?" In 1993, the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families adopted the PACT methodology and since then 500 families have completed the year-long program with remarkable results.
For more information, visit www.DrAGibson.com

From Loving Healing Press www.LovingHealing.com

Family & Relationships: Parenting - Child Rearing

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Loving Healing Press (May 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932690891
• ISBN-13: 978-1932690897
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 9.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lifeline for Parents of Impossible Kids, July 1, 2009

By 

Virginia M. Fulton "Professional Counselor" (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Got An Angry Kid? Parenting Spike: A Seriously Difficult Child (Paperback)

This book is a lifeline to families where a "seemingly incorrigible" child has the household in a tailspin. Here is a book that lays out, clearly and concisely a step-by-step program for the parent(s)so that they can start to do things that work, to scrap the stuff that doesn't work and to create real change. This program is consistent with tried-and-true family systems theory - when one or two members of a group change, the whole system, even Spike (the book's prototype of everyone's nightmare child) HAS to change as well.
Dr. Andrew Gibson has a way with words and writes with the sort of humor that keeps your attention. But the book is no joke. Gibson takes desperate parents by the hand and supports them through a straight-forward process of serious change. There is no blame here, either at parent or child, just the here-and-now work of making things better.
The book is for parents. It is also for counselors, clergy, and anyone who works with families of difficult kids. Every probation officer, school psychologist, guidance counselor and the like should have piles of this book in their offices, ready to hand out to parents of kids whose behaviors get them into trouble.
"Got an Angry Kid?" grew out of work that Dr. Gibson has done for well over 20 years with parents of kids who were, as he calls it, "seriously difficult." I'm delighted that it is now available to all of us as a book.
If you know an angry kid, buy this book!
Virginia M. Fulton, MA, LPC

5.0 out of 5 stars A LIFELINE FOR DEALING WITH THE DIFFICULT CHILD, October 15, 2010

By 

Lauri C. Coates (MASCOUTAH, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Got An Angry Kid? Parenting Spike: A Seriously Difficult Child (Paperback)

Got An Angry Kid?
Parenting Spike: A Seriously Difficult Child
Author: Andrew D. Gibson, PhD
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
ISBN: 978-1932690897

Kids-raising them and caring for them can be pretty challenging. Add a psychiatric label or behavioral problem such as ADD, ADHD, bi-polar disorder, oppositional defiance, etc., and parenting can become what seems like a hopeless and insurmountable chore. Dr. Gibson has worked with families of angry children for many years. He has developed an innovative and proven technique in the form of a self help program he calls PACT (Parenting Angry Children and Teens). The author introduces us to Spike and his family, a fictionalized take on the true life experiences of his patients and their families. Case studies of actual families are also explored, covering a wide range of problems and circumstances.

The rest of the book covers the goals you as a parent will work through. These steps are well detailed and clearly explained, along with explicit instructions and helpful hints to get you through. To change your child's behavior, you first need to address your own behavior and the reactions you have to the behavior problems your child exhibits. The 28 steps detailed will probably take about 8-10 weeks to implement, and probably about a year to see the improvement fully in your child. It's not easy, and not a quick fix. But easy solutions and quick fixes do not exist for these situations. There is a chart included so that you can make notes as you work through the goals, and you don't move on to the next step until the one you are working on is satisfactorily completed. By breaking it down this way, a daunting task is made to seem much more doable and less stress inducing.

If you are a parent, counselor, grandparent, clergy member, caregiver, or anyone else who deals with an angry and difficult child, you may well find that this book is a lifeline. If you know someone who could benefit from it, tell them about it or buy it for them. They will thank you for helping them change the life and dynamics of their families.