Implosive therapy in the counselling of a pupil who set fires

Some clinical data on children who set fires are reviewed, and the apparent lack of research on how to deal with them is noted. A technique based on implosive therapy (IT) using the concept of 'realistic anxiety' is described as a possible way of meeting certain treatment difficulties. An illustrative case-study of a pupil referred to an educational psychologist is outlined. It is suggested that a number of other difficult-to-treat disorders might be approached in the same way.