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Cognitive and Behavioural Treatment in Children and Adolescents

Code: 102537
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Psychology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Maria Esther Trepat Ancos
Email :
esther.trepat@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Maria Esther Trepat Ancos

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

We recommend that the students should have already taken the subject of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.

Objectives

1. Acquiring the basic knowledge about cognitive-behavioural treatment of the main disorders and behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence.

2. Studying specific characteristics of the therapeutic intervention process in childhood and adolescence.

3. Analysing treatment programs and intervention strategies for the most frequent disorders and behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence.

4. Becoming acquainted with the main cognitive-behavioural techniques applied in the treatment of the main disorders and behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence and the scientific evidence underpinning these techniques

5. Enhancing clinical practice through simulated situations.

6. Focusing on the analysis of cases.

7. Solve clinical challenges.

8. Know the contributions of women to evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Treatments.

9. Promote the non-sexist use of language and gender perspective.

Learning outcomes

  1. Formulate treatment goals in operational terms.
  2. Apply assessment techniques.
  3. Apply communication skills.
  4. Use the specific lexicon of subject.
  5. Specify an action plan based on the assumptions and objectives previously established.
  6. Differentiate between methods and techniques based on the evidence available to a target of intervention.
  7. Recognise the appropriateness of an intervention methodology for a therapeutic purpose.
  8. Use techniques for motivating change.
  9. Recognise how to reach consensus in treatment objectives and techniques among all parties involved in the intervention process.
  10. Plan the evaluation to be carried out during the intervention.
  11. Plan post-treatment evaluation.
  12. Maintain a favourable attitude towards the permanent updating through critical evaluation of scientific documentation, taking into account its origin, situating it in an epistemological framework and identifying and contrasting its contributions in relation to the available disciplinary knowledge.
  13. Apply knowledge, skills and acquired values critically, reflexively and creatively.
  14. Explain the explicit or implicit deontological code in your area of knowledge.
  15. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  16. Assess the impact of the difficulties, prejudices and discriminations that actions or projects may involve, in the short or long term, in relation to certain persons or groups.

Contents

BLOCK 1: INTRODUCTION TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL TREATMENT


TOPIC 1: Characteristic aspects of the cognitive behavioural-intervention process in childhood and adolescence.


TOPIC 2: Therapeutic skills.


BLOCK 2: TREATMENT FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS.


TOPIC 3: Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).


TOPIC 4: Treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).


BLOCK 3: Behavioural disorders


TOPIC 5: Treatment for Conduct Disorders (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).


BLOCK 4: ANXIETY DISORDERS AND MOOD DISORDERS.


TOPIC 6: Treatment for Depressive disorder.


TOPIC 7: Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Separation Anxiety Disorder.


TOPIC 8: Treatment for Specific Phobias and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).


BLOCK 5: EATING DISORDERS


TOPIC 9: Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Avoidant/Restrictive food intake disorder.


BLOCK 6: ELIMINATION DISORDERS


TOPIC 10: Treatment for Enuresis and Encopresis.


BLOCK 7: OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENTS WITH EVIDENCE.


TOPIC 11: Unified protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders in children and adolescents and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy in adolescents.



Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Studying the program contents 45 1.8
Tutorials 8 0.32
Clinical practice 12 0.48
Compulsory and recommended reading. 22.5 0.9
Activities 35.5 1.42
Theoretical classes 24 0.96

THE SUBJECT’S TEACHING PROGRAM COMPRISES 2 TYPES OF ACTIVITIES: GUIDED AND AUTONOMOUS.

GUIDED ACTIVITIES

1. THEORETICAL CLASSES

• Theoretical and participative presentation of the corresponding topic.

• Debate about cases.

• Multimedia format.

Size of the groups: 1/1

2. CLINICAL PRACTICE (6 sessions of 2 hours per group)

  • Interviews in simulated situations.
  • Functional analysis of the case.
  • Planning of the intervention: aims and techniques
  • Solving clinical challenges with Challenge Based Learning (CBL) methodology
  • Multiple-choice test and a role play

Size of the groups: seminars in small groups

AUTONOMOUS ACTIVITIES

• Compulsory and recommended reading including articles in English.

• Answering the questions of the multiple-choice test about a case. This test will be in paper format during the clinical practice sessions and prepare the final role play

• Studying the program contents.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Ev 1: Multiple-choice test in the first assessment period. Individual. 30% 1.5 0.06 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Ev 2: Multiple-choice test in the second assessment period. Individual. 30% 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Ev 3: Individual written multiple-choice tests at the end of each clinical practice session and a role play on one of the cases worked 40% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16

Translation of exams: THE DELIVERY OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE IN-PRESENTIAL EVALUATION TESTS WILL BE CARRIED OUT IF THE REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED IN ARTICLE 263 ARE COMPLIED WITH AND YOUR REQUEST IS MADE ONLINE IN WEEK 4 (E-FORM) (more information on the Faculty website).

This subject does not consider single assessment.

Evaluable student: evaluable students are those enrolled in the subject who have provided evidences of learning with a weight of 40% or more.


Passed Subject: the requirements for passing the subject are as follows.

1. It is necessary to have appeared in EV1 and EV2 and to have obtained a grade higher than 4 in each of them. It is also necessary to have completed 80% of the practical exercises of evidence 3 and, as a mandatory requirement, the role play.

2. The average mark for all the evidences (both exams and 5 practical exercises) must be equal to or above 5.

3. If the student does not meet these requirements, the maximum possible grade obtained in continuous evaluation will be 4.5.

4. In the case of not performing the EV1 or the EV2 the maximum note of the continuous evaluation that can be obtained is 4.5 points.

Criteria for passing the subject


(E1x0,30) + (E2x0,30) + (E3x0,40) ≥ 5


Re-evaluation process:


To participate in the re-evaluation process, students must have been evaluated on evidences provided during the continuous evaluation Ev1 or Ev2 and 80% of the exercises that make up evidence 3, with role play being mandatory, and must have obtained a grade below 5 but equal to or above 4. The resit exam will be a test-type exam of the whole subject. If the recovery is performed, the grade obtained will be added to the weighted grade. The test will be scored between 0 and 2 points. This exam must be passed (obtain a minimum of 1 point) in order for its value to be added to the weighted final grade previously obtained in the subject.

No unique final synthesis testfor students who enrole for the second time or more is anticipated.


https://www.uab.cat/doc/DOC_Pautes_Avaluacio_2025-2026


OBSERVATIONS


Retorn type EVIDENCE AND TYPE WEEK
Written EV1 and EV2 7 and 19
Digital tool

To the Classroom EV3 12, 14, 15 and 16
Tutorial

Use of AI

For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches and text translations. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in cases of seriousness.

Bibliography

Friedberg, R. D., & Nakamura, B. J. (2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Youth: Tradition and Innovation. New York: Springer

Prinstein, M. J, Youngstrom, E. A., Mash, E. J., & Barkley, R. A. (2019). Treatment of Disorders in Childhod and Adolescen. New York: The Guilford Press.

Orgilés, M., Méndez, F.X., & Espada, J.P. (2022). Tratamiento paso a paso de los problemas psicológicos en la infancia y adolescencia. Madrid: Pirámide.

portal.guiasalud.es/actualización-continuada

nice.org.uk/guidance/

Software

No specific software is required.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 111 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 112 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 113 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 114 Catalan/Spanish second semester morning-mixed