Oppositional/Behavioral Disorders Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Is Your Child Struggling with Defiant Behavior? We’re Here to Help.
If your child or adolescent is exhibiting oppositional or defiant behaviors, you are not alone—and help is available. At Ann Arbor Therapy & Testing, we specialize in providing therapy for children and adolescents dealing with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and other behavioral challenges. Our therapy is tailored to your child’s unique needs and will help them develop the skills needed to manage their emotions, improve behavior, and build healthier relationships with family, peers, and authority figures.
Our therapy is tailored to your child’s unique needs and will help them develop the skills needed to manage their emotions, improve behavior, and build healthier relationships with family, peers, and authority figures.
What Oppositional/Behavioral Disorders Therapy Does to Help: Therapy for oppositional and behavioral disorders focuses on helping your child learn how to regulate their emotions, improve behavior, and develop positive coping skills. Here’s how therapy can help:
- Setting Boundaries and Expectations: Therapy supports your family in creating clear, consistent rules and expectations.
- Understanding Behavior: We work together to identify the underlying causes of your child’s behavior. By gaining insight into what triggers defiance and oppositional actions, we can develop strategies to address them effectively.
- Teaching Healthy Coping Strategies: Your child will learn skills such as anger management, frustration tolerance, and problem-solving techniques to help them respond more appropriately in challenging situations.
- Improving Communication: Therapy focuses on teaching both your child and family members effective communication techniques to reduce misunderstandings and improve interactions.
- Building Self-Regulation: We help your child develop emotional regulation skills, so they can recognize their feelings and learn to manage them before they escalate into outbursts or defiant behavior.

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Oppositional and behavioral disorders can look different in each child, but here are some common signs and symptoms:
- Frequent Temper Tantrums: Meltdowns or outbursts when things don’t go as expected or when given instructions.
- Defiant Attitude: Consistently arguing with adults, refusing to follow rules, or challenging authority figures.
- Blaming Others: A tendency to refuse responsibility for actions, blaming others for mistakes or problems.
- Irritability: A quickness to become angry, frustrated, or upset, even in situations where others may remain calm.
- Disruptive Behavior: Engaging in behaviors that disrupt home, school, or social environments.
- Hostility: A tendency to be rude, insulting, or sarcastic toward authority figures and peers.
- Difficulty with Authority: A pattern of refusing to listen to or follow rules set by parents, teachers, or other authority figures.
If these behaviors are affecting your child’s daily life and relationships, it may be time to seek professional help.
How Oppositional/Behavioral Disorder Therapy Works:
At Ann Arbor Therapy & Testing, our approach to therapy is evidence-based, confidential, and collaborative. We understand that each child’s needs are unique, so we offer a personalized treatment plan to help address the specific challenges your child is facing. Here’s how it works:
- Collaboration: We work closely with you and your child to create a treatment plan that is tailored to their specific needs and goals. Therapy is a team effort, and we encourage active participation from both parents and children to ensure the best outcomes.
- Evidence-Based Techniques: We use proven therapeutic techniques, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), that have been shown to reduce oppositional behavior and help children develop positive coping mechanisms.
- Confidential: We respect your child’s privacy and maintain confidentiality throughout the therapeutic process. You can trust that your family’s information will be kept safe and secure.
- Comprehensive: We take a holistic approach to therapy, considering all aspects of your child’s life—family dynamics, school environment, and social relationships—when developing a treatment plan. This ensures that therapy addresses all the factors
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Our Treatment Values
At Ann Arbor Therapy & Testing, we believe in providing therapy that is grounded in core values that guide our work with every child and family:
- Empathy: We listen with understanding and compassion, acknowledging that challenging behaviors are often a reflection of unmet emotional needs. Whether your child is dealing with frustrations at school or struggles at home, we are here to support them with kindness and patience, helping them understand that their feelings are valid.
- Self-Awareness: Therapy helps your child recognize their emotions and behavioral patterns. With increased self-awareness, they can begin to understand why they act out and develop strategies to make better choices. We also work with parents to help them recognize their own behaviors and learn how to best support their child’s growth.
- Resiliency: Life’s challenges can feel overwhelming at times, but we teach your child how to bounce back from setbacks and mistakes. Resiliency is at the heart of our approach, helping your child learn to cope with frustration, disappointment, and anger in healthy ways, ensuring they can face challenges with confidence.
- Positive Mindset: By fostering a more positive outlook on themselves and their situations, therapy helps your child shift away from negative thinking patterns. A positive mindset enables them to approach life with hope and determination, reducing defiant behavior and boosting their ability to cooperate with others.
- Improved Self-Esteem: As your child develops new coping skills and experiences success in managing their emotions and behavior, their self-esteem grows. Through therapy, they’ll gain confidence in their ability to handle difficult situations, resulting in improved relationships and a stronger sense of self-worth.
Call (734) 388-4440 to schedule Oppositional/Behavioral Disorders Therapy and learn more about other therapy services offered at Ann Arbor Therapy & Testing.
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