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Stubborn. Argumentative. Strong-willed.

Jennifer Anne Brown, co-author with Pam Provonsha Hopkins of What Angry Kids Need, says these are the kids she likes to work with. And for good reason—because that's the kind of child Brown was herself.

Today Brown is a mental health counselor, full of empathy for both intense, angry children and for their parents.

"My parents have said they started out with the goal of raising a strong, independent-minded young woman—but that the by the time I reached school age, they only dreamed of compliance!" she chuckles.

Brown herself finds compliant kids boring. That's what changed her career direction.

"I intended to be a preschool teacher but when I was volunteering in a classroom, I discovered that I was strongly drawn to the so-called problem kids."

The result? After finishing her undergraduate degree in child and family studies at Washington State University, Brown went on to earn a master's in social work at the University of Washington. After working for Catholic Family and Child Service in Yakima, Wash., and Kitsap Mental Health Services in Bremerton, Wash., she established a private practice in Woodinville, Wash., in 2003. She focuses on children 3-17 and their families, providing both parenting education and family therapy. Brown also consults to mental health agencies regarding children who have both developmental disabilities and mental health concerns. Now Lake Stevens, Wash., residents, she and her husband are the parents of two young boys.

Brown, who met co-author Hopkins when they both worked in Yakima, wants What Angry Kids Need to do more than tell parents how to squelch bad behavior.

"Parents need to understand why kids act angry. They need to understand how their responses can positively impact their children's healthy emotional development. And parents need to be empowered, with practical skills and realistic expectations for changing how kids act," she points out.

Stubborn. Argumentative. Strong-willed. Jennifer Anne Brown, co-author with Pam Provonsha Hopkins of What Angry Kids Need, says these are the kids she likes to work with. And for good reason—because that's the kind of child Brown was herself. Today Brown is a mental health counselor, full of empathy for both intense, angry children and for their parents. "My parents have said they started ou... More