Brief Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Youth Workbook Programs That Work Series

Anxiety and depression are the most common psychological challenges for children and adolescents, with nearly 1 in 5 youths suffering from a significant episode before adulthood. Without intervention, these issues can have lasting impact, with links to persistent struggles with mood, poorer physical health, school drop-out, and substance abuse. Brief Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Youth: Workbook details a problem-focused, short-term behavioral intervention designed to promote rapid change in youth symptoms in 8 to 12 sessions. BBT targets youths' avoidance of stress and negative feelings and promotes active engagement with the important activities of youths' lives - school, family, friendships. In the first phase of treatment, youth are taught relaxation and problem-solving strategies to cope with stress. In the second phase, youths develop and practice a personalized action plan to engage in challenging life tasks and activities. Throughout, the program allows for flexibility to accommodate family cultural values, youth age and maturity level, and youths' personalized symptom profile. Designed to work alongside the corresponding Therapist Guide, Brief Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Youth promotes thoughtful collaboration between therapists, parents, and children, helping young people to learn that they can endure situations that are scary, unpleasant, or overwhelming and reach their goals in life.

V. Robin Weersing, PhD, is the Director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Program (ChAAMP) at San Diego State University (SDSU) and a Professor and Associate Director in the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at SDSU and UC San Diego. Dr. Weersing's research focuses on the development of efficient and effective interventions to prevent the onset and treat the occurrence of anxiety and depression in youth. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and acknowledged with numerous awards and fellowships including recognition from the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation, the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research, and the William T. Grant Foundation. Araceli Gonzalez, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at California State University Long Beach. Dr. Gonzalez has expertise in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress in youth, with a focus on improving mental health outcomes among underserved youth and parents and reducing mental health treatment disparities. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Foundation. Michelle Rozenman, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavioral Research for Anxiety interVention Efficiency (BRAVE) Lab at the University of Denver. Dr. Rozenman is an expert in evidence-based assessment and treatment of youth internalizing and obsessive compulsive and related disorders. Her research focuses on identifying and directly targeting mechanisms underlying anxiety-related problems in youth using experimental therapeutic and behavioral approaches. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the International OCD Foundation.