Creative CBT with Youth: Clinical Applications Using Humor, Play, Superheroes, and Improvisation

This book combines empirical support, clinical acumen, and practical recommendations in a comprehensive manner to examine creative augmentations to the robust cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model. It discusses augmentations that are supported by research and practice and are also clinical-friendly tools. Each chapter briefly summarizes research findings, offers parsimonious explanations of theoretical concepts and principles, presents vivid descriptions of therapeutic procedures, and describes rich case illustrations. The book addresses the use of humor in CBT with youth, playful applications of CBT, applications of improvisational theatre in CBT and integrating superheroes into CBT. Key areas of coverage include: Building stronger, more flexible, and enduring alliances with children and adolescents to improve treatment retention and impact. Using humor and irreverent communication in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to enhance outcomes with adolescents.Developing rapport between medical and psychosocial team members to alleviate stress during pediatric medical procedures and as an adjunct to therapeutic interventions. Cognitive behavioral play therapy (CBPT) with young children. Family-focused CBT for pediatric OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Cognitive Behavioral Psychodrama Group Therapy (CBPGT) with youth. This unique and compelling volume is an authoritative resource for researchers, professors, clinicians, therapists and other professionals as well as graduate students in developmental psychology, pediatrics, social work, child and adolescent psychiatry, and nursing.

About the Author

Robert D. Friedberg, Ph.D., ABPP, obtained his doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology-San Diego and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Cognitive Therapy-Newport Beach. Currently, he is a tenured Full Professor, Head of the Pediatric Behavioral Health Emphasis,  and Director of the Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxious Youth at Palo Alto University. Dr. Friedberg is a Board Certified Diplomate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a former Extra-mural Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, a Fellow of APA Division 53 (Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology), and a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy. He is the author of 11 books, including the Clinical Practice of Cognitive Therapy with Children and Adolescents (2015, with Jessica McClure) as well as many journal articles, book chapters, and national and international presentations.

Erica V. Rozmid, Ph.D., has clinical, research, and academic backgrounds from UCLA, Stanford University, New York University (NYU), and CBT/DBT California. In 2021, she opened Clarity CBT&DBT Center- a clinical, training, and consultation practice utilizing evidence based services for children, adolescents, and young adults. As a Certified Cognitive Therapist by the Academy of Cognitive therapist, Dr. Rozmid prioritizes implementing the most up-to-date clinical interventions. Dr. Rozmid has a passion for research and was the Lab Chief for Dr. Friedberg’s research group, Center for Study and Treatment of Anxious Youth (CSTAY) at Palo Alto University. She has presented her work at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT), Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and has contributed more than 20 peer-reviewed publications to the larger psychological community.Dr. Rozmid earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University and B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder.