Objective: To complement standardized measurement of symptoms, we developed and tested an efficient strategy for identifying (before treatment) and repeatedly assessing (during treatment) the problems identified as most important by caregivers and youths in psychotherapy. Method: A total of 178 outpatient-referred youths, 7-13 years of age, and…

THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, AND SOCIAL FAVORABILITY RATINGS OF 941 ITEMS THAT WERE THOUGHT TO BE DESCRIPTIVE OF CHANGE IN CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR. THIS POOL OF ITEMS COULD THEN BE USED FOR SCALES MEASURING THE OUTCOME OF COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN. THE VALIDATION AND CROSS-VALIDATION SAMPLES INCLUDED…

Research showing psychodynamic child therapy to be less effective than other forms of child treatment have used outcome measures focusing on symptomatic and behavioral change rather than on psychodynamic processes. A child therapy assessment procedure than measures the psychological functioning of the child in a psychodynamically meaningful way is…

I review the Common Factors Model, the Empirically Validated Therapy Model, and the Recovery Model of therapeutic change and effectiveness. In general, psychotherapy appears to be effective and common factors account for more of the variance than do specific techniques. However, in some areas, particularly in the treatment of anxiety disorders,…