A Model for Teaching and Evaluating Brief Psychotherapy With Children and Their Families

This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of teaching a method of planned time-limited therapy with children and their families to relatively inexperienced therapists in a clinical setting. Significant features of the therapy were as follows: (a) the focus was on client-suggested goals, (b) the emphasis was on skills deficits rather than pathology, and (c) the techniques included structural family therapy, educational, behavioral, and cognitive interventions. Five families were treated by five psychology interns. The Child Behavior Checklist and goal attainment scaling were used to evaluate outcome. The cases, clinical interventions, and outcome are described.