Why Is It Easier to Get Mad Than It Is to Feel Sad? Pilot Study of Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children.

Objective:: This article reports results of a pilot study of three participants receiving regulation-focused psychotherapy for children (RFP-C), a manualized, short-term, psychodynamic treatment for children with oppositional defiant disorder and other externalizing problems. RFP-C targets implicit emotion regulation while using an intensive, psychodynamic, play therapy approach to decrease the child's need for disruptive behaviors.

Methods:: Three children with oppositional defiant disorder participated in a trial of RFP-C.