Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is arguably the most effective psychotherapy model for children and adolescents with emotional disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, trauma and stress-related disorders, etc.). Emotional disorders in youth frequently overlap or co-occur, and yet many of the existing, effective therapies available for children and adolescents with emotional disorders target just one or a smaller subset of these problems.The Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents, based in groundbreaking research from Jill Ehrenreich-May, David H. Barlow, and colleagues, suggest that there may be a simpler and more efficient method of utilizing effective strategies, such as those commonly included in CBT, in a manner that addresses the broad array of emotional disorder symptoms in children and adolescents. The child and adolescent Unified Protocols do this by framing effective strategies in the general language of strong or intense emotions, more broadly, and by targeting change through a common lens that applies across emotional disorders. Specifically, the child and adolescent Unified Protocols help youth by allowing them to focus on a straightforward goal across emotional disorders: reducing intense negative emotion states by extinguishing the distress and anxiety these emotions produce through emotion-focused education, awareness techniques, cognitive strategies, problem-solving and an array of behavioral strategies, including a full-range of exposure and activation techniques. The Unified Protocol for children and adolescents comprises a Therapist Guide, as well as two Workbooks, one for children, and one for adolescents.

Introduction to the Unified Protocols for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children (UP-C) and Adolescents (UP-A)PART ONE: ADOLESCENTS (UP-A)Chapter 1Core Module 1: Building and Keeping MotivationChapter 2Core Module 2: Getting to Know your Emotions and BehaviorsChapter 3Core Module 3: Introduction to Emotion-Focused Behavioral ExperimentsChapter 4Core Module 4: Awareness of Physical SensationsChapter 5Core Module 5: Being Flexible in Your ThinkingChapter 6Core Module 6: Awareness of Emotional ExperiencesChapter 7Core Module 7: Situational Emotion ExposureChapter 8Core Module 8: Reviewing Accomplishments and Looking AheadChapter 9Module P: Parenting the Emotional AdolescentPART TWO: CHILDREN (UP-C)Chapter 10Introduction to the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children (UP-C)Chapter 11UP-C Session 1: Introduction to the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in ChildrenC Skill: Consider How I FeelChapter 12UP-C Session 2: Getting to Know Your EmotionsC Skill: Consider How I FeelChapter 13UP-C Session 3: Using Science Experiments to Change our Emotions and BehaviorC Skill: Consider How I FeelChapter 14UP-C Session 4: Our Body CluesC Skill: Consider How I FeelChapter 15UP-C Session 5: Look at My ThoughtsL Skill: Look at My ThoughtsChapter 16UP-C Session 6: Use Detective ThinkingU Skill: Use Detective Thinking and Problem SolvingChapter 17UP-C Session 7: Problem Solving and Conflict ManagementU Skill: Use Detective Thinking and Problem SolvingChapter 18UP-C Session 8: Awareness of Emotional ExperiencesE Skill: Experience My FeelingsChapter 19UP-C Session 9: Introduction to Emotion ExposureE Skill: Experience My FeelingsChapter 20UP-C Session 10: Facing Our Feelings-Part 1E Skill: Experience My FeelingsChapter 21UP-C Sessions 11-14: Facing Our Feelings-Part 2E Skill: Experience My FeelingsChapter 22UP-C Session 15: Wrap Up and Relapse PreventionS Skill: Stay Healthy and HappyPART THREE: VARIATIONS AND ADAPTATIONSChapter 23UP Group and Individual Therapy Variations, Other AdaptationsConsiderations for adapting UP-A and UP-C for use with different populations