Psychotherapy for children and adolescents

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Child and adolescent therapy has seen significant advancements, including more controlled studies and evidence-based treatments.
• Despite progress, critical research areas remain underdeveloped, limiting our understanding of therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the progress, characteristics, and limitations of current child and adolescent therapy research.
• To propose a research agenda for advancing the field.

Main Methods:

• Review of controlled studies and methodological quality in child and adolescent therapy.
• Identification of neglected research areas and their implications.

Main Results:

• Evidence-based treatments are available for numerous child and adolescent clinical issues.
• Key neglected areas include mechanisms of change, treatment outcome moderators, and generalizability to clinical practice.

Conclusions:

• Advancing child and adolescent therapy requires research into change mechanisms and developmental psychopathology.
• Future research should broaden inquiry scope and ensure clinical relevance for effective treatment.