Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents by Weisz and Kazdin (third edition) – Chapter 1 summary

Psychotherapy refers to any interventions that is designed to reduce distress or maladaptive behaviour or enhance adaptive functioning and uses means such as counselling and structured and other planned psychosocial interventions. The goals include improving adjustment and functioning in both intrapersonal and interpersonal spheres. Next, the goal is to reduce maladaptive behaviours and psychological and/or physical complaints.

Nowadays, guidelines for making studies to evaluate psychotherapy exist. There is no consensus for when something can be considered evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP). Most guidelines includes something as evidence-based when there are at least two studies with the following:

• Careful specification of the patient population.
• Random assignment of participants to conditions.
• Use of treatment manuals that document the procedures.
• Multiple outcome measures including a measure for the disorder.
• Statistically significant differences between treatment and a comparison group after treatment.
• Replication of outcome effects.

Evidence-based is a continuum.