Strategies are needed that assist both current practitioners and counselors-in-training in working safely and effectively with potentially aggressive young people and their families. To emphasize with at-risk client families the seriousness of violence, all or part of an initial or early counseling session with an at-risk family should be devoted exclusively to prescribed risk assessment and crisis planning processes. This safety session is intended to reduce the risk of client violence by opening a forthright dialogue regarding the risk of violent behavior, specifying appropriate behavior, and setting limits and consequences for noncompliance. The specific framework for a safety session and a case study illustrating its application are presented.
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