The purpose of this article was to describe the therapeutic processes involved in a parent-training program for families with conduct-disordered children. Videotaped transcriptions of over 100 hours of group discussion therapy sessions provided the data for this study. Findings indicated that the therapeutic process of helping parents learn to manage their children's behavior problems was based on a collaborative model. This model included six roles for therapists, which were labeled building a supportive relationship, empowering parents, teaching, interpreting, leading and challenging, and prophesizing. In addition, the script for parents included five recurring themes related to helping them cope more effectively. These were promoting parents' problem-solving, helping parents "come to terms" with their child, gaining empathy for their child, parents' accepting their own imperfection, and learning how to "refuel." Examples of each of these roles and themes are discussed.

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In a retrospective study, 25 children who had been selectively mute in school were followed up by means of questionnaires administered via their schools, 2–10 years after referral. Those given individual therapy programs with a behavioural content were more likely to have improved at follow‐up than those given standard, school‐based remedial programs. A further poor prognostic indicator was found to be an incidence of past or present mental illness in the immediate family. The present data provide preliminary evidence for an “at‐risk” group, for whom follow‐up prognosis is poor and for whom the early application of behavioural programs would seem advisable.

The concept of maternal 'bonding', i.e. rapid mother-to-neonate attachment, appears frequently in psychiatric, paediatric and social work discussions of childhood psychopathology and child abuse. 'Bonding' is used as a diagnostic concept, and one which has to bear the weight of important explanatory, descriptive and predictive statements. In turn, it is related aetiologically to post-partum contact and separations of mother and infant. The authors present a critical review of the concept, exploring its empirical basis, and the implications (logical and illogical) that flow from its application in practice. They conclude that the usage of the term 'bonding' is often misleading, because of a tendency to reify and simplify attachment phenomena; in addition, there are no indications from animal investigations and no evidence from human studies which directly support the notion of a 'sensitive period' in the formation of mother-to-infant attachments. They also describe the negative and pessimistic implications of using this concept in social work and clinical practice. Alternative ways of conceptualising these early parent-child events are suggested.