[Psychotherapy in children and youths]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Child and adolescent psychotherapy constitutes a significant portion of all psychotherapeutic interventions.
• The developmental stage of young patients makes the impact of these therapies particularly significant.

Observation:

• Current efforts to evaluate psychotherapy effectiveness are disproportionately low compared to the volume of therapies administered.
• Meta-analyses of controlled studies provide a limited yet positive outlook on the efficacy of child and adolescent psychotherapy.
• Limited research hinders definitive conclusions on effectiveness variations across therapeutic orientations or specific disorders.

Findings:

• Systematic therapy evaluation necessitates clear decisions on disturbance description, diagnostic systems, standardized assessments, operationalized techniques, and control conditions.
• Few clinicians engage in systematic research on therapy effectiveness, impacting the available evidence base.
• Attention to therapy evaluation within psychology and psychotherapy training programs is minimal, with few students receiving explicit training.

Implications:

• Enhancing the quantity and quality of research in child and adolescent psychotherapy evaluation is crucial.
• Improved training in systematic therapy evaluation is recommended for psychology and psychotherapy students.
• Further research is needed to draw more robust conclusions regarding therapeutic orientation and disorder-specific effectiveness.