Short-Term Behavioral Health Interventions (Child and Adolescent)

Short-Term Behavioral Health Interventions (Child & Adolescent) are defined by the CEBC as interventions to reduce or stabilize the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents in eight or fewer sessions of treatment. The behavioral health needs addressed by these interventions are broad and may include anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, and substance use, among others. Short-term interventions may meet the behavioral health needs of these youth while preventing client attrition commonly seen in longer-term treatments. Interventions that focus on behavioral health stabilization may be useful to address limitations in specialist behavioral health provider availability. The CEBC has previously reviewed interventions for the Prevention of and/or Early Intervention for Mental Health Problems (link to Mental Health Prevention and/or Early Intervention (Child & Adolescent) Programs), as well as Digital Mental Health Interventions (DMHIs) (link to Digital Mental Health Interventions (Youth/Young Adult)). These programs are not included in the Short-Term Behavioral Health Interventions topic area unless they meet the criteria below.

• Target population: Children and adolescents with behavioral health needs, either with a formal diagnosis or without a formal diagnosis but exhibiting elevated behaviors or symptoms
• Services/types that fit: Eight or fewer sessions of treatment delivered via individual or group outpatient services or community- or school-based interventions that target the youth alone, work with the youth and/or their caregivers, or target the entire family
• Delivered by: Behavioral health clinicians, physicians, primary care providers, trained paraprofessionals, social workers, parents, caregivers, child- and family-serving professionals, peer supports, and educators
• In order to be included: Program must specify the reduction or stabilization of the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents in eight or fewer sessions of treatment as a primary goal.
• In order to be rated: There must be research evidence (as specified by the Scientific Rating Scale) that examines behavioral health-related outcomes, such as symptom levels, behaviors, and/or functioning, including functioning outcomes related to autonomy, confidence, and/or relatedness.

The Short-Term Behavioral Health Interventions (Child & Adolescent) topic area was added in 2026. Jason Lang, PhD", was the topic expert and was involved in identifying and rating any of the programs with an original load date in 2026 (as found on the bottom of the program's page on the CEBC) or others loaded earlier and added to this topic area when it launched.