Child Interventions

Child Interventions Midterm

  1) Kazdin makes clear arguments for changes that are needed in the field of child psychotherapy research. Based on your readings, discuss what have been presented as future directions for clinical researchers to fill the gaps that currently exist – in addition, present what you would suggest are important starting points.
Kazdin makes several arguments in Chapter 9 of his book that treatment administered during research is quite different from treatment in a clinical practice. In fact, his argument is that the two are not exactly comparable in that outcomes observed in research are most likely much more positive and beneficial than what you can expect to see in clinical practice.
Identifying the Gaps
The author began by describing differences in the two populations. More specifically, that individuals who enter treatments studies present differently that individuals who are referred to a clinical practice. This is a difference such that individuals seen in a clinical setting are believed to have more severe symptoms and more impairment in their ability to function. Therefore, treatment results that suggest an efficacious form of therapy, may in fact be less effective in practice.
Kazdin also discussed the differences in how treatment is administered in research and clinical settings. In other words, treatment that has evidence for being effective is rarely the form of therapy implemented by therapists in practice. Surprisingly, despite the evidence for effectiveness, therapists do not appear to utilize the techniques in the same manner as suggested by research. Subsequently, the results of the treatment are inevitably going to be different.
Similarly the administration of therapy is not exactly comparable, as researchers typically have manualized treatment that is most likely administered in a brief group format while clinicians are more likely to not use a manual and meet with their clients individually for an... [continues]

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