How Are We Going in Treating Anxious Youth? Status of the Field and Current Directions

In this course, Professor Ronald M. Rapee, from the Centre for Emotional Health at Macquarie University, updates viewers on the state of the (research) art in treating anxious youth. Rapee explains which components are included in the Cool Kids Program developed by the Centre and cites several meta-analyses and other studies to back up the assertion that those elements work. Rapee poses the question of how we can improve treatment outcomes and notes the importance of delineating not whether, but how, parents should be involved. A major topic discussed is what the research has to say about whether treatment should include CBT, a medication, or both. Other relevant topics are those of whether group or individual treatment is better, how long the treatment should be, and whether a generic or disorder-specific treatment will be more helpful to the anxious child. Co-morbidity, risk factors, and the service delivery model of stepped care complete the discussion.