A parent just shared that her almost-adult son has displayed voluntary encopresis.  There are sometimes remains left in the bathtub.  This young man has also begun stealing from people and he describes that it is like an addiction, where he wakes up thinking about stealing.  His parents are divorced, he lives with Dad and Step-mother who constantly criticizes him.  He was an outstanding baseball player, but began stealing from teammates.  He is defiant at home, his grades are falling, hes lost interest in the things he used to do, such as baseball.  The adults dont forgive him and theyve stripped him of a phone, a bedroom door, etc. and have given him no way to earn things back.  This young man says hes not suicidal; hes using pot.  This is such a mental disorder and I dont want to do more harm to him as a school counselor.  What type of therapy do you suggest?  How do I get the parents to understand this behavior is very much about them?
HiT hanks for using Chat Doctor I think, he has conduct disorder or cannabis induced psychosis and in that case, he needs proper mental evaluation by psychiatrist. If he has conduct disorder, then he needs behavioral therapy. Being a counselor, you can try positive and negative reinforcement in his case. That would help to modify his behavior. In case of psychosis, he would improve with antipsychotic Chat Doctor.  Better to tell them to consult a psychiatrist. In case, you need further help, you can ask. Thanks