European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 10: I/12–I/18 © Steinkopff Verlag 2001

Child and adolescent psychotherapy in research and practice contexts: Review of the evidence and suggestions for improving the field to more than 500 studies. Here we summarize key findings, focusing on effectiveness and efficacy research. Research is sparse on the effectiveness of treatment in every-day practice, but available evidence suggests little benefit. By contrast, extensive research on efficacy of structured treatments administered under controlled conditions shows very substantial evidence of benefit. We note several specific treatments for which evidence is encouraging, and we offer suggestions for future research. Particularly important will be research on treatment mod-els most often used in practice set-tings, tests of outcome mediators and moderators, tests employing a broadened range of treatment delivery models, and research bridging the gap between lab-tested treatments and the conditions of real-world practice. Key words Children – adoles-cents – psychotherapy – efficacy – effectivenes