My Dysfunctional Family

Dave Vitalli fixes families. Struggling parents call him when they need to rein in teens who are causing family dysfunction. He believes in the cliche that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," so he scrutinizes parents as much as kids in his search for the truth needed to set them on a successful course. In various cities, the counselor works to help families deal with tricky issues -- ranging from addiction to abuse or abandonment. Vitalli uses surprising and controversial tactics -- like lie detectors and drug-sniffing dogs -- to determine problems' origins, then he helps people get a fresh start. A survivor of abuse himself, Vitalli is familiar with counseling families on TV; he has done it on more than 200 episodes of the talk show "Maury. " …