Pseudoscience in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy : A Skeptical Field Guide

This book identifies ineffective and harmful treatments for every major mental health issue affecting youth and instead proposes strong evidence-based treatments. Written by experts from academia, hospitals, and private practice, it is the ideal resource to inform practitioners, students, and researchers on which treatments to avoid.

Most infants, children, and adolescents facing mental health challenges - including autism, psychosis, mania, depression, anxiety, and substance use - do not receive evidence-based treatments. Instead, they commonly receive ineffective and even harmful treatments. In this book, leading experts from the fields of clinical psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, pediatric neurology, applied behavior analysis, and social work identify the most problematic psychotherapy interventions used for each mental health issue. In addition to these primary authors, each chapter includes a side bar from a specialist representing the disciplines of pediatrics, anthropology, neuroscience, and psychology. The contributors work in academia, hospitals, and private practice and include book authors, podcasters, and even a filmmaker. Not only does this book highlight the threats of potentially harmful pseudoscience, it also summarizes treatments that actually have a strong evidence base and deliver far more positive results.