Child & Adolescent Treatment Strategies

Project Timeline
Child & Adolescent Treatment Strategies January, 2001 through August 31, 2006 Pilot Phase I-October, 2002 to November, 2002 (Completed) A series of interviews will be conducted with therapists to understand the treatment strategies they employ when working with children and families presenting for specific kinds of problems. Up to 30 therapists, ranging in disciplines, will be invited to participate in this portion of the study. Therapists will be asked to discuss different strategies they might employ when working with several hypothetical families to be discussed during the course of the interview. In addition, therapists will be asked to fill out a draft of a questionnaire currently being developed regarding therapeutic strategies and techniques and to provide feedback about its content and structure. Interviews conducted with therapists will last approximately one hour. (Pilot Phase I Consent Form) Pilot Phase II-November, 2002 to May, 2003 (Completed) During this phase, therapists will be videotaped as they work with children and families who present for treatment with specific kinds of problems. Up to 20 therapists, ranging in disciplines, from a number of different mental health agencies, will be invited to participate in this portion of the study. One or two families being seen by each therapist will be asked to take part in this portion of the study. Participating clients will be asked to fill out additional measures and to allow researchers to observe the treatment strategies that therapists use via videotape. A total of up to 80 sessions (3-4 with each family) will be videotaped and reviewed to gain additional understanding of the strategies therapists employ when working with children who present for treatment with specific kinds of problems. (Pilot Phase II Consent Forms)
Phase I-May, 2003 to October, 2004 (On hold) Approximately 300 treatment providers will answer questions about the strategies they use when working with children who present for mental health services at least in part due to disruptive behavior problems. Based on the responses given to this survey, a subset of treatment providers (around 80) will be asked to participate in the second phase of the study. (Phase I Consent Forms)
Phase II-November, 2004 to June, 2006 (In progress) Approximately 80 families will participate in a study designed to characterize the most common treatment techniques and strategies used to care for children and families presenting for care at least in part due to disruptive behavior problems. Treatment strategies and techniques employed will be carefully documented and outcomes of care recorded to understand the common collections of strategies employed and the relationship between outcomes and utilization of specific treatment strategies. Both clients and therapists will provide information about services and outcomes over the course of one year. Based on results from Pilot Phase II, an observational coding system, the Child Therapy Process Rating System (CTPRS) will be used to understand techniques and strategies used by therapists. The CTPRS and an associated software system to facilitate viewing and coding of tapes are available for review and potential use. If you have an interest in using these tools, please contact Michael Hurlburt for further information.(Observational Coding System)

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Last updated April 6, 2006
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