Parent-Reported Treatment Outcomes Versus Clinician Judgment: Correlates of Psychotherapy Improvement with Children

Abstract

This retrospective exploratory study used archival data for 96 children who underwent psychotherapy at the university-based community mental health center. Information gathered from parents and clinicians-in-training served to explore patterns of client treatment outcomes at termination of psychotherapy and the application of clinical judgment by clinicians-in-training. The Youth Outcome Questionnaire 30.2 (YOQ 30.2) is a treatment outcome measure used to monitor the occurrence of observed behaviors or symptom change in children during the course of psychotherapy. The Behavior Assessment System for Children – Second Edition (BASC-2) is a comprehensive measure of the behavioral and emotional functioning in children used to identify mental health difficulties. This study expanded on the literature about the validity of the YOQ 30.2 as a measure of symptom intensity in children undergoing psychotherapy when compared with the BASC-2. The study identified characteristics in children that are conducive to successful termination of psychotherapy in training mental health centers. The distance from the client’s home to the clinic was the only significant predictor for treatment improvement for clients who attended between 6 and 20 sessions. The number of attended sessions was confirmed as a predictor of treatment success at termination. Finally, the YOQ 30.2 treatment improvement rates served as confirmation of the clinical judgment novice clinicians-in-training apply at the time of termination.