My first job, when I work with a new family, is to assess whether the home is a safe place for all family members. Before you follow the advice in any blog, in any book, or from any friend, your home needs to be safe for everyone in the family. If your home is not safe for all family members, this is not the time to go it alone. You need professional help.
If the power struggles and explosions that you are experiencing with your child reach the point where you, your spouse or your other children are being physically injured, seek professional help immediately. If your challenging child is bullying a sibling and that sibling is becoming anxious, regressed, or is becoming physically aggressive him or herself, seek professional help immediately. If the power struggles and explosions that you are experiencing with your child are leading either you or your spouse to lose your temper in a way that is harmful to your child, seek professional help immediately. These situations are emergencies. Contact your child’s pediatrician, your child’s school psychologist, or the psychiatry department of your local hospital.