Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents : Directions for Research and Practice

What do we wish to know about psychotherapy and its effects? What do we already know? And what needs to be accomplished to fill the gap? These questions and more are explored in this thoroughly updated book about the current status and future directions of psychotherapy for children and adolescents. It retains a balance between practical concerns and research, reflecting many of the new approaches to children that have appeared in the past ten years. Designed to change the direction of current work, this book outlines a blueprint or model to guide future research and elaborates the ways in which therapy needs to be studied. By focusing on clinical practice and what can be changed, it offers suggestions for improvement of patient care and advises how clinical work can contribute directly and in new ways to the accumulation of knowledge. Although it discusses in detail present psychotherapy research, this book is squarely aimed at progress in the future, making it ideal for psychologists, psychiatrists, and all mental health care practitioners. "The book is refreshingly written, and rings with a warm authority that is a useful reminder to researchers, and a welcome change for clinicians concerned about the split between research and clinical practice. I recommend it to both clinicians and researchers, and also to health planners concerned about whether psychotherapy is useful form of medical treatment. The anser is a resounding yes, and Dr. Kazdin is clarifying and improving our understanding of this answer." -- D.S. Palframan, MD, Annals RCPSC, Vol. 33, No. 6, Sept 2000 The book contains black-and-white illustrations. Contents......Page 14 PART I. Background......Page 16 1. Introduction......Page 18 2. Clinical Problems of Children and Adolescents......Page 32 3. Approaches, Treatments, and Characteristics of Psychotherapy......Page 49 PART II. Evidence: Major Findings, Strengths, and Limitations......Page 68 4. The Effects of Psychotherapy: Current Status of the Evidence......Page 70 5. The Effects of Psychotherapy: Empirically Supported Treatments......Page 87 6. Treatments That Work: Illustrations of Exemplary Research......Page 104 7. Characteristics and Limitations of Therapy Research......Page 123 PART III. Improving Therapy Research......Page 144 8. Developing Effective Treatments: A Model for Clinical Research......Page 146 9. Designing and Conducting a Treatment Study......Page 172 10. Implementing and Evaluating Treatment in Clinical Practice......Page 201 11. Psychotherapy Research in Perspective......Page 224 Appendix A: List of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapies......Page 244 Appendix B: Methodology in a Nutshell......Page 256 Notes......Page 272 References......Page 278 B......Page 304 D......Page 305 G......Page 306 K......Page 307 M......Page 308 R......Page 309 T......Page 310 Z......Page 311 B......Page 312 C......Page 313 F......Page 314 M......Page 315 P......Page 316 S......Page 317 T......Page 318 W......Page 319 "Here, author Alan E. Kazdin, one of the foremost researchers in the field, explores psychotherapy for children and adolescents in a straightforward manner that will appeal to both clinicians and researchers." "Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents has two central themes. The first is the major limitations in contemporary practice and research and in the conclusions that can be made about the effects of psychotherapy; and the second is the lack of significant progress in treating children and adolescents with psychological disorders given the way psychotherapy is presently conducted. It examines the current status and future directions of psychotherapy research and elaborates on three questions. What do we wish to know about therapy and its effects? What do we already know? And what needs to be accomplished to fill the gap between what we wish to know and what we already know?"--Jacket This thoroughly updated book explores the current status and future directions of psychotherapy for children and adolescents and retains a balance between practical concerns and research, reflecting many of the new approaches that have appeared in the past ten years. It is perfect for psychologists, psychiatrists, and all mental health practitioners. What do we wish to know about psychotherapy and its effects? What do we already know? And what needs to be accomplished to fill the gap? These questions and others are explored in this updated book about the current status and future directions of psychotherapy for children and adolescents