A substantial proportion of children and youth in the child welfare system have mental health concerns that warrant attention. While these youth are more likely to receive treatment in general, they are less likely to receive evidence-based treatments. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Plus (CBT+) is a training approach in evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, behavior problems, and symptoms of traumatic stress. Included in the model is an emphasis on symptom and outcome monitoring. Though based on well-established evidence-based treatments, clinical effectiveness of CBT+ has not been evaluated for child welfare populations. Embedded within a broader initiative called Partnering for Success, the current study evaluated the impact of CBT+ training on treatment outcomes for the mental health symptoms of a racially diverse sample of 1281 children and youth in four different states.
Symptom data were collected by community-based mental health therapists as part of standard CBT+ treatment adherence procedures. Multilevel linear growth modeling was used to evaluate symptom change over time. Significant improvements were observed across all four clinical targets, with a slight curvilinear relationship found for anxiety, depression, and behavior problems. This promising initial evidence suggests CBT+ is a viable training option for treatment of child welfare-involved children and youth with a range of mental health concerns.
- CBT+ is a promising training approach for therapists working with children and youth in the child welfare system.
- Including symptom monitoring as part of CBT+ treatment facilitates assessment of clinical change over time.
- Children and youth receiving CBT+ generally experienced improvements in mental health symptoms.
- While improvements in symptoms were observed for anxiety, depression, behavior problems and symptoms of traumatic stress, improvement trajectories differed.