Assessment, treatment and evaluation

Course goals

The aim of the course is to familiarize the student with: theoretical underpinnings of several prototypic evidence based treatments, certain issues surrounding the dynamics between assessment of psychosocial problems and treatment evaluation, and some of the statistical, methodological and social issues that concern the empirical evaluation of evidence based treatments. At the end of the course the students should be able to assess evidence based treatments in the broadest sense of the word, designs their own treatment study, and discuss the main theoretical, methodological, and statistical issues (i.e., the inherent pros and cons) that are debated in the current literature on these studies.

Content

Many times children and adolescents are at risk for deviant developmental pathways. A considerable number of children and adolescents actually develop these deviant developmental pathways, often resulting in distress to themselves (psychosocial problems) and to their home environment. When the youngster has developed psychosocial problems (ranging from light to severe), evidence based treatments are available that aim to reduce these psychosocial problems or to help the person cope with the consequences of these problems. Therefore, the objective of this course is to familiarize the student with the theoretical underpinnings of several prototypic evidence based treatments, certain issues surrounding the dynamics between assessment of psychosocial problems and treatment evaluation and some of the statistical, methodological and social issues that concern the empirical evaluation of evidence based treatments. The student will discuss the pros and cons of the statistical and methodological issues, and not simply repeat a dogmatic standpoint of a particular scientific group. Each week students read the literature, processing it critically by preparing discussions on topics that are presented in the reader. Each class is primarily based on group discussion as opposed to a lecture. Therefore, the lecturer expects a full and high quality of participation from each student in the discussions, to assure that the aims of the course are achieved by all students. The grading of the active participation, short assignments, leading class discussion, the final paper and the class presentation of the final paper is to ensure that all the aforementioned goals are achieved.