The Therapeutic Utilization of the Juvenile Court

The authors describe a collaborative program between an adolescent psychiatric clinic and a juvenile court that has resulted in the successful handling of otherwise untreatable court-referred adolescents. The approach used in this program has overcome two major problems in the therapy of adolescents: resistance to treatment and the tendency to act out. Court authority brings an abrupt halt to the chain of events perpetuated by the patients' behavior and at the same time intensifies the current crisis, thus making the patient more available for help.