Juvenile Fire Setting

Juvenile Fire Setting

What Works

Currently no medication or psychological treatments meet these criteria.

 

What Seems to Work

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Structured treatments designed to intervene with children who set fires.

 

What Does Not Work

• Ignoring the problem
• Leaving youth untreated is not beneficial because they typically do not outgrow this behavior and ignoring these behaviors may even increase dysfunctional behavior patterns.
• Satiation
• The practice of repetitively lighting and extinguishing fire. Satiation may cause youth to feel more competent around fire and actually increase the behavior.