Parenting: Prescribing the Symptom

Rebecca was struggling with 3 year old Kevin'swas working to get Kevin to stop screaming. Even
screaming. Whenever someone didn't do what hethough screaming didn't work for him to get his way,
wanted, he screamed and screamed, hoping to gethe kept doing it.
his way. Rebecca had tried many different things toAs Rebecca and I discussed it in a phone session, it
get Kevin to stop screaming, such as time outs,became apparent to me that Kevin and Rebecca
telling him to use his words, walking away andwere stuck in a power struggle, with Rebecca trying
ignoring him, taking away toys and taking awayto get Kevin to stop screaming and Kevin doing
events, such as a birthday party. A couple of timeseverything he could to resist being controlled. We
she had lost it and screamed back at him. Nothingneeded another tactic.