Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Adolescent Depression, DVD

With John F. Curry, PhD

Closed Captioned
Copyright: 2018
Running Time: more than 100 minutes

ORDER CODE: APA-4310991


Although peer pressure, stress and self-esteem issues are not new, and have been generally accepted as normal growing pains for adolescents, an increasing issue among today's adolescents is depression.

Fortunately, adolescent depression is a treatable condition: Evidence-based approaches are available and, by sharpening the skills needed to establish an effective working alliance with adolescents and applying these approaches, clinicians can provide excellent treatment.

The cognitive-behavioral approach demonstrated in this program by Dr. John F. Curry is based in developmental psychopathology and social cognitive learning theory, and typically includes behavioral activation, problem-solving, and cognitive restructuring. In the therapy demonstration, Dr. Curry applies his approach to behavioral activation and works with an adolescent teen who is suffering from depression.

Approach
From the developmental psychopathology perspective, we know that depression can result from a wide variety of contributing factors and can affect adolescents with widely varying personality characteristics and family circumstances. Depression can also be viewed within multiple levels of analysis, ranging from the genetic level through the psychological level to the family and broader social contextual levels.

Psychotherapeutic treatment of depression addresses the psychological and to some extent the family levels of analysis. It is often accompanied by medication treatment which addresses biological factors maintaining the depression.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression is based on social cognitive learning and aims to help the adolescent to cope with stressful life events in effective ways so as to prevent or alleviate depression. Social cognitive learning theory helps the therapist to focus on the ways in which the adolescent has learned to respond to specific situations.

About the Therapist
Dr. John F. Curry received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Villanova University and his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Catholic University of America, after completing a clinical internship at Duke University Medical Center.

He joined the Duke faculty in 1978 in the Department of Psychiatry where he conducted research and clinical practice. Since 1991 he has had a joint appointment in Psychology & Neuroscience, where he teaches, and directed the APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology from 1997 to 2001. His research and clinical work has focused on adolescent disorders, especially depression and substance abuse.

Dr. Curry has conducted this work in outpatient and inpatient clinical settings, in consultations with the juvenile court and school systems, and in major National Institute of Mental Health-funded clinical trials. He was lead author of the cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) manual, and leader of the CBT team for the multi-site Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS), and a contributing author and supervisor in the Treatment for Suicidal Adolescents (TASA) study.

His research has investigated efficacy and effectiveness of CBT, alone or with medication, in treating adolescent major depression. Currently, he leads a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism-funded adaptive treatment study for adolescents with substance abuse and depression.

In the clinical psychology program, Dr. Curry mentors graduate students and teaches courses in child and adolescent psychotherapy, developmental psychopathology, and personality assessment.