Faculty Bibliography

This preliminary investigation examined the efficacy of a game-based cognitive-behavioral therapy group program for elementary school-aged children who have experienced sexual abuse. Treatment aimed to improve: (a) internalizing symptoms, (b) externalizing behaviors, (c) sexually inappropriate behaviors, (d) social skills deficits, (e) self-esteem problems, and (f) knowledge of healthy sexuality and self-protection skills. Results indicate that game-based cognitive-behavioral therapy was effective for improving internalizing and externalizing symptoms, reducing sexually inappropriate behaviors, and improving children's knowledge of abuse and self-protection skills. Although results pointed in a positive direction for social skills and self-perception, these findings were not statistically significant. Clinical significance was also evaluated to assess the clinical utility of treatment effects. Treatment implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

This article presents theory and rationale for game-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (GB-CBT), an integrative group modality for treating elementary school-aged children who have been sexually abused. GB-CBT incorporates evidence-based elements from cognitive-behavioral therapy, play therapy, and group therapy. The model's curriculum contains topics that have been demonstrated to be effective for treating child sexual abuse, including communication skills, emotional expression skills, psycho-education about child abuse, exposure and processing of sexual abuse, and self-protection and coping skills. Treatment is delivered in a fun and engaging manner utilizing developmentally appropriate games (DAGs) as the primary therapeutic technique. GB-CBT was designed to address behavioral problems and symptoms typically associated with child sexual abuse and aims to enhance children's knowledge of abuse and self-protection skills

Several empirically supported treatments for depression are currently available with little understanding of either principles or mechanisms that are responsible for their effectiveness. This article reviews existing principles and finds that they contain little mechanism information. A connectionist mechanism used to explain why systematic desensitization and response prevention are effective in treating anxiety disorders is reviewed and generalized to understand why empirically supported treatments of depression work. This mechanism suggests a dissonance induction followed by reduction principle that can guide clinical practice. Application is extended to learned helplessness and rumination because they are associated with depression. Implications for clinical practice are provided. Limitations are identified and discussed.