Practitioner Review: Empirical evolution of youth psychotherapy toward transdiagnostic approaches

Abstract

We complement research findings with a clinical perspective based on our use of manual-guided transdiagnostic intervention in clinical care settings, and we propose directions for research and practice.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for childhood anxiety disorders: What happens to comorbid mood and behavioral disorders? A systematic review

“…'Transdiagnostic' and 'Modular' approaches to comorbidity have attracted increasing attention in recent years (Marchette & Weisz, 2017). Transdiagnostic CBT aims to target core cognitive and behavioural processes that are assumed to be present across a range of disorders hence treating a range of conditions in a single treatment context (Andersen, Toner, Bland, & McMillan, 2016).…”

Fidelity vs. flexibility in the implementation of psychotherapies: time to move on

“…In response, more flexible, transdiagnostic and modular approaches have been developed, which may be at least as effective as “specialized” treatments focusing on a smaller number of problem‐specific techniques and interventions. Others have argued for a bottom‐up approach in developing evidence‐based psychotherapies by carefully studying psychotherapy as it is delivered, and emphasizing competencies in factors such as creating a therapeutic alliance and providing a convincing treatment rationale.…”

Transdiagnostic treatment approaches for greater public health impact: Implementing principles of evidence‐based mental health interventions

“…In the following sections, we review the history, conceptualization of, and evidence supporting transdiagnostic approaches. Given work by others (e.g., Marchette & Weisz, 2017;Sauer-Zavala et al, 2017), we summarize, but do not repeat all the compelling arguments already made. Rather, we focus on the benefits of specific transdiagnostic approaches for low-resource settings, where the population-level benefit of focal treatment protocols has been poor or nonexistent.…”

“…Boustani, Gellatly, Westman, and Chorpita (2017) added to this work by providing a glossary of terms, including distinguishing between terms such as "common elements," "modular," "transdiagnostic," and "flexible." Marchette and Weisz (2017) extended these conceptualizations to include a fourth principle-guided approach proposed by Weisz, Bearman, et al (2017). In their paper, "principles" does not refer to a school of thought (as in Sauer-Zavala et al, 2017), but rather to broad evidence-based assumptions underlying effective psychological treatments for multiple disorders, each of which is associated with improvement even when used alone.…”

“…A more adaptable intervention will better target the needs of clients, providers, and settings, ultimately improving reach, adoption (both at the organizational and individual provider level), implementation, and maintenance. First, for reach, transdiagnostic approaches that are modular and flexible may offer greater ability to tailor content, sequencing, and duration of treatment to individual clients (Marchette & Weisz, 2017). Turning to global mental health work as an example, before initiating treatment efforts, qualitative work is used to gain an understanding of the local population's mental health needs, their prioritization of problems, and the context, with results informing treatment selection and modification (e.g., Murray et al, 2013).…”