Behavioural Psychotherapy with Children

Abstract

This selective review of current practice in behavioural psychotherapy with children of normal intelligence suggests that the boundaries of what is clearly behavioural are somewhat blurred. It has increasingly been the practice of many clinicians to combine behavioural techniques with other approaches in eclectically derived packages. Within behavioural practice there seems to be a shift towards adopting an interactive model and incorporating cognitive elements. Various contemporary approaches: parent training, social skills training, contingency management, the treatment of phobias and enuresis are considered critically with respect to recent developments and the above perceived tendency to eclectic empiricism in the treatment of children's psychological problems.