Approximately two-thirds of all children referred to mental health agencies are labeled conduct-disordered. Typically such children exhibit antisocial behavior -- lying, cheating, stealing, firesetting, fighting, oppositional behavior and noncompliance to parental requests -- at abnormal rates. Troubled Families -- Problem Children helps the mental-health clinician understand the most effective "therapeutic processes" for supporting families who have children with conduct disorders. Help for these families is particularly urgent as the children are not only at increased risk of abuse by their parents but are more likely to be involved in school dropout, alcoholism, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, etc., and also to suffer from poor physical health.

From the Foreword by Thomas Ollendick "What sets this book apart from others of its genre is its careful attention to, and elucidation of, the 'collaborative process' in working with these oppositional, defiant, and conduct-disordered children and their families." "Webster-Stratton and Herbert do not just talk about troubled families and problem children; rather, they bring them to us in rich and graphic detail." "Troubled Families -- Problem Children is an outstanding and scholarly contribution to the field."

Carolyn Webster-Stratton is the author of Troubled Families-Problem Children: Working with Parents: A Collaborative Process, published by Wiley.

Martin Herbert is Professor Emeritus at Exeter University. He was previously a lecturer and clinician at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. This was followed by the post of Director of the School of Social Work and Professor and Head of the School of Psychology and clinical training at Leicester University. He later joined the National Health Service full time and was in charge of the Mental Health Service for children in Plymouth. This post was succeeded by a move to Exeter, where he founded and directed the Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology as Professor of Clinical and Community Psychology. He was appointed to the Consultant Clinical Psychology post in the Child and Adolescent Department at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Health Care Trust. For several years he was a Mental Health Act Commissioner. He now specialises in personal injury psycho-legal work and the evaluation of parent training courses, one of which - the Child Wise Behaviour Management Programme - he codesigned for use in Sure Start and NHS settings. He has published books and journal articles on the psychological problems of children, adolescents and adults.