Dose response effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy in a school mental health program

School mental health (SMH) programs have been shown to be effective in providing evidence-based interventions to underserved youth. However, limitations of SMH programs are that they can entail holiday breaks, typically do not operate through summer, and often require pulling students from class to receive therapy. These limitations suggest that treatment must be expeditious and potent. Although researchers have investigated dose response to treatment, no studies were located that addressed dose response to treatment in SMH programs. The present study addressed this gap by evaluating the dose response to SMH treatment in a sample of 133 adolescents. Adolescents were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at multiple time points throughout treatment. An average treatment response of a 26.81-point decrease in Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ-30) score was found across 14 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Further, adolescents exhibited reliable change in YOQ-30 score within an average of 2.91 sessions. Finally, it was found that baseline scores on the Depression and Hyperactivity subscales of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition, along with YOQ-30 score, predicted treatment response. These findings advance our understanding of dose response to CBT in SMH settings, and create opportunities to better inform effective treatment strategies in similar contexts.