Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxious youth: therapist variables and child treatment outcome

Abstract

We assessed the relationship between several therapist variables and treatment outcome by examining the predictive power of therapist training/demographic characteristics, therapist competence and treatment integrity, and therapist style, to child outcome in a sample of 279 youth who participated in the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS). All youth participated in 14 sessions of CBT (randomly assigned either with medication or without) delivered by trained therapists. Youth across both treatment conditions experienced significant treatment gains with youth in the CBT+MED and CBT only conditions showing greater gains than those in the placebo group. Therapist (a) prior clinical experience and (b) prior anxiety-specific clinical experience were significant predictors of treatment outcome across both parent- and diagnostician- rated measures. Higher levels of prior clinical experience predicted better outcome; higher levels of anxiety-specific experience were less favorable. Therapist treatment integrity, competence, and a collaborative style were also predictive of outcome. Therapists who were more collaborative and empathic, followed the treatment manual, and implemented it in a developmentally appropriate way, had youth with better treatment outcomes. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.