Assessing the effects of clinic-based psychotherapy with children and adolescents

Abstract

Recent meta-analyses suggest that psychotherapy is quite effective with children and adolescents. However, most research in those analyses involved controlled laboratory interventions that may not represent typical therapy in clinics. We studied more representative treatment as it routinely occurs, in 9 clinics. We compared 93 youngsters who completed a course of therapy with 60 who dropped out after intake. At intake, the groups did not differ on demographic, family, or clinical measures, including Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores. Six months later (when therapy had ended for 98% of the treated children) and again 1 year later, the 2 groups were compared on CBCL scores, parent ratings of each child's major referral problem, and (for a subsample) teacher reports. No comparison showed significant main effects of therapy. The findings (a) raise questions about the generalizability of findings from research-oriented therapy and (b) suggest that the control and precision of research therapy may be needed in clinical practice.