Behavioral Issues
Behavioral Issues are defined as persistent patterns of disruptive, maladaptive, or inappropriate actions that significantly impair an individual’s social, academic, or occupational functioning. Unlike occasional misbehavior, the American Counseling Association (ACA) views these issues through the lens of the DSM-5-TR, focusing on a lack of self-control over emotions and behaviors that violate the rights of others or bring the individual into significant conflict with societal norms. Counselors assess these patterns to determine if they stem from specific disorders—such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder—or if they are externalized expressions of underlying trauma, neurodevelopmental factors, or emotional distress.
