Cognitive Therapy Techniques for Children and Adolescents

Robert D. Friedberg, PhD, ABPP, is Full Professor and Director of the Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxious Youth at Palo Alto University. Previously, he directed the CBT Clinic for Children and Adolescents and the Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He served as an Extramural Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Friedberg is coauthor of Clinical Practice of Cognitive Therapy with Children and Adolescents, Second Edition, and Cognitive Therapy Techniques for Children and Adolescents: Tools for Enhancing Practice.Jessica M. McClure, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and the Clinical Director for the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. McClure has presented, written articles and book chapters, and provided training in cognitive-behavioral therapy with children and adolescents. Her expertise includes cognitive-behavioral treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders.Jolene Hillwig Garcia, MD, is completing psychiatry residency training in the Department of Psychiatry at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University College of Medicine, and has completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. She received an MD from Penn State University College of Medicine and a BS in Biology and BA in Art-Commercial Design from Lycoming College. Dr. Garcia has been involved in scholarly research and publications, as well as professional presentations on topics of interest in child and adolescent psychiatry. In addition, she continues her work in graphic and fine art.

"All child therapists should have this book on their shelves. It is written in a candid, user-friendly manner, and is filled with useful resources, such as rating scales that help to capture and quantify the diversity of symptoms in youth, useful downloadable forms, and sample therapist-client dialogues. The information on psychoeducational resources for children and their parents is comprehensive and well organized. The book has a nice balance between the theory of cognitive and behavioral interventions and the practical techniques needed to actually conduct the therapy."--Craig L. Donnelly, MD, Chief, Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Director, Pediatric Psychopharmacology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center"Clearly articulated techniques are illustrated with activities and vignettes that make them come alive. This is one of the few books that address the process of cognitive-behavioral therapy with children, including how to implement the techniques in the context of the child-therapist relationship. I highly recommend this book for graduate courses in child psychotherapy and for practicing professionals seeking creative therapeutic activities and helpful assessment measures to implement with children."--Elizabeth A. Gosch, PhD, ABPP, Director, MS Program in Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine "Over the years, Friedberg and his colleagues have filled a gaping hole in the cognitive-behavioral therapy literature by writing innovative and useful guides for child and adolescent therapists. This book is packed with creative, witty, and practical methods, including some that use technologies, like text messaging, that younger clients are likely to favor. The authors helpfully organize the techniques by their purpose and highlight the client ages and clinical problems best served by each. This is one of those rare books that therapists can open at any page to find creative ideas that are immediately useful. If you work with children, adolescents, or families, keep this book on your desk; I predict it will become your most well-thumbed reference."--Christine A. Padesky, PhD, Cofounder, Center for Cognitive Therapy, Huntington Beach, California "Unlike a 'one-size-fits-all' manual, this book uses a modular approach that illustrates creative, flexible, and empirically supported techniques. This book will change the way you think about cognitive therapy with children, adding a sense of interest, excitement, and playfulness that is too often absent from the literature. There are very few 'how-to' guides in this area and fewer still that are rooted in research evidence and a genuine understanding of cognitive-behavioral theory. Both new and seasoned clinicians will find clear presentations of technique and refreshingly new and appealing approaches to meeting kids' therapy needs."--Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, PhD, ABPP, Director, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island - A practical, well-written 'toolbox' of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques for children and youth, written for CBT therapists. The authors provide a wide range of CBT tools....What is refreshingly unique about this volume is that the authors have created a modular approach to CBT that can be individualized for each patient. I highly recommend this book for child and adolescent psychiatrists and other mental health professionals practicing CBT with children and youth, especially patients suffering from anxiety who are keen to be treated in a family or group context. --Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7/17/2009ƒƒ Helpful...accessibly written. --Young Minds Magazine, 2/3/2010

• 1. Beginnings2 .Using Assessment Efficiently3. Psychoeducation4. Behavioral Interventions5. Self-Instructional and Cognitive Restructuring Methods6. Rational Analysis7. Performance, Attainment, and Exposure8. Final Points