Approaches to Child Treatment Introduction to Theory, Research, and Practice

This book provides a detailed review of the range of treatment approaches that have been found to be of value in treating child and adolescent psychological disorders. While the bulk of the book is devoted to discussions of the various approaches to treatment, background material is found in the first three chapters. The authors set the stage by looking at the role of the clinician's theoretical orientation in conceptualizing psychopathology, assessment, and treatment; by reviewing the range of problems that may result in the need for interventions; and by focusing on general issues in individual treatment. These introductory chapters are followed by a series of chapters that focus on the specific approaches to child treatment. With each approach, the authors examine the theoretical basis of the approach, major techniques employed, the nature of the problems the approach has been found useful with, and research findings regarding the effectiveness of the approach. Clinical case material is used to illustrate the nature of the approaches. The book concludes with a general discussion of the role of preventive efforts as they relate to child psychopathology. In creating this new edition the authors did much rewriting, updating, and adding new material. Of particular importance is the attention to DSM-IV, cognitive-behavioral approaches to therapy, and to short-term psychotherapy.