The outcomes of psychotherapy with adolescents: a practitioner-friendly research review

This article summarizes the outcome findings of psychotherapy with adolescents through an examination of the research literature. In this problem-focused review of the research literature, we consider adolescent treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, multiple problems of adolescence, and health risk behaviors. The evidence base for the effectiveness of various psychotherapies for adolescents is mixed. Psychotherapy in general has been a ripe field in which unsupported approaches have grown, and this is certainly true for psychotherapeutic interventions with adolescents. Nonetheless, there is a growing body of evidence to support various types of interventions as effective for different presenting problems. Researchers and clinicians need to recognize the complexity of the diverse characteristics of adolescents, including variations of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, class, physical disability, family definitions and constellation, and sexual orientation. These require sensitivity, responsiveness, and competence by the therapist, but clinical research has not fully examined these considerations.