Abstract
Objective
Experts have called for tools to enhance the effectiveness and acceptability of youth psychotherapy, such as methods designed to increase clinician-client alignment. Transdiagnostic youth psychotherapies, such as Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH), may be particularly strong candidates for these methods, as they involve complex decision-making processes that influence treatment plans and outcomes. In this study, we explored clinician-client alignment in the selection of an initial MATCH treatment protocol (anxiety, depression, trauma, or conduct problems).
Method
We used data from 196 youths (7–15 years old; 54% male; 32.5% White, 28% Black, 24% Latinx/Hispanic, 1% Asian, 13.5% multi-racial) receiving MATCH. We tested whether alignment – i.e. the extent to which the clinician-selected protocol aligned with the “best-fit” protocol for a given youth, based on youth and caregiver pre-treatment data – might predict trajectories of change in youth- and caregiver-reported severity of youth symptoms (Brief Problem Monitor) and idiographic top problems (Top Problems Assessment) across treatment.
Results
Overall, outcomes tended to improve more when the clinician-selected protocol aligned with the best-fit protocol of at least one of the clients (i.e. caregiver client and/or youth client) than when the clinician-selected protocol did not align with the best-fit protocol of either client.
Conclusions
To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that clinician-client alignment may be associated with improved outcomes in youth psychotherapy. These findings highlight the potential clinical value of using pre-treatment client data to inform the clinician’s critical decision of which treatment focus to pursue.
Experts have called for tools to enhance the effectiveness and acceptability of youth psychotherapy, such as methods designed to increase clinician-client alignment. Transdiagnostic youth psychotherapies, such as Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH), may be particularly strong candidates for these methods, as they involve complex decision-making processes that influence treatment plans and outcomes. In this study, we explored clinician-client alignment in the selection of an initial MATCH treatment protocol (anxiety, depression, trauma, or conduct problems).
Method
We used data from 196 youths (7–15 years old; 54% male; 32.5% White, 28% Black, 24% Latinx/Hispanic, 1% Asian, 13.5% multi-racial) receiving MATCH. We tested whether alignment – i.e. the extent to which the clinician-selected protocol aligned with the “best-fit” protocol for a given youth, based on youth and caregiver pre-treatment data – might predict trajectories of change in youth- and caregiver-reported severity of youth symptoms (Brief Problem Monitor) and idiographic top problems (Top Problems Assessment) across treatment.
Results
Overall, outcomes tended to improve more when the clinician-selected protocol aligned with the best-fit protocol of at least one of the clients (i.e. caregiver client and/or youth client) than when the clinician-selected protocol did not align with the best-fit protocol of either client.
Conclusions
To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that clinician-client alignment may be associated with improved outcomes in youth psychotherapy. These findings highlight the potential clinical value of using pre-treatment client data to inform the clinician’s critical decision of which treatment focus to pursue.
| Originalsprache | Englisch |
|---|---|
| Seiten (von - bis) | 1-12 |
| Fachzeitschrift | Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology |
| DOIs | |
| Publikationsstatus | Elektronische Veröffentlichung vor Drucklegung - 2025 |
Österreichische Systematik der Wissenschaftszweige (ÖFOS)
- 501009 Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie