Progress review of the psychosocial treatment of child conduct problems.

I assess current methods for reviewing advances in psychotherapy research and describe a new method for evaluating such work—the progress review. The need for progress reviews is highlighted and the usefulness of this technique is demonstrated via an evaluation of the extant literature on the psychosocial treatment of child conduct problems. Overall, an impressive body of research has amassed in support of the efficacy of several different treatment approaches for child conduct problems. However, information about which treatment components are responsible for therapeutic change, which mechanisms are involved, and which factors influence therapeutic change is lacking for each of the treatment approaches discussed. A theoretically based plan for future research is outlined for each treatment approach, in accordance with the results of this review. The continued use of progress reviews in all areas of psychotherapy research will help ensure that all of the goals of such research are attended to and will increase our ability to develop more effective and efficient psychotherapeutic interventions.