My research centers on the development of effective and efficient interventions for anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. To date, there have been over 1500 controlled investigations of psychotherapy for youth. Results of these studies tell a consistent story — we can produce substantial changes in youths’ psychiatric symptoms, with treatment effect sizes in the moderate to large range. This would appear to be good news for the families of the 11.5 million youth seeking mental health services each year and for the public and private organizations charged with their care. However, while we have copious evidence that interventions for youth can work well (i.e., are efficacious), we have very little information about whether treatments for youth do work well in practice (i.e., are effective).
