What Works for Whom?

“This is an important, comprehensive, well thought out, and well written text. It surpasses many of the texts currently written as it has a greater depth of exploration of many of the problems encountered in assessing empirical support….This book can be highly recommended and can become a valuable part of any graduate psychology, psychiatry residency, or advanced social work training program where the efficacy of interventions is scrutinized. The book is reasonably priced.”

—Child and Family Behavior Therapy


“This extremely useful bringing together of what is known on evidence-based treatments provides far more than an update of the first edition….The introduction provides a most thoughtful critique of what is meant by ‘evidence-based’ and in so doing moves away from a crude labelling of whether some treatment has a strong evidence-base towards a recognition of the importance of context….This is a ‘must read’ book for both clinicians and researchers. Because most people will need to refer frequently to the book on the treatments for particular disorders, I recommend purchase to ensure that the book is readily available on the bookshelf.”

—Child and Adolescent Mental Health (Review by Sir Michael Rutter, MD, FRS)


“Outstanding....A key strength of this book is that many forms of treatment are included for each disorder....The work is extraordinarily comprehensive....This is an excellent volume that will be useful to clinicians, administrators, policy planners, and researchers.”

—Clinical Social Work Journal (on the first edition)


“A unique and needed contribution to the literature.”

—Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic (on the first edition)


“This comprehensive and informative book makes a highly valuable contribution to the knowledge of treatment in children and adolescents with mental disorders....It is a pleasure to read this book. It can also serve as a quick reference book.”

—European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (on the first edition)


“Provides a well-structured, clear, and comprehensive review of relevant evidence-based research.”

—Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (on the first edition)


“This is an excellent book that deserves to be in the library of every practitioner who works with children and adolescents suffering from emotional or behavioral disorders. It is extremely well written, comprehensive, and unusually concise. One of the things I particularly liked is that when the evidence base is not strong the authors are not afraid to provide some practical clinical suggestions. Strongly recommended.”

—Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (on the first edition)


“The authors are well respected in this field and have produced a clear, cogent handbook that synthesizes the studies that have evaluated psychosocial and pharmacological approaches....If good quality services are to be delivered to young people and their families, reviews like these should inform the decision-making process at all levels. An essential read.”

—Healthcare Counseling and Psychotherapy Journal (on the first edition)


“Valuable for everyday use as well as for a treatment reference….Each chapter is organized into sections with various evidence-based treatments, research findings, implications, and case-series studies. The chapter summaries detail all of the key components in an easy-to-read fashion so that anyone, including patients/parents/families, can understand….I would recommend it to anyone in the field as well as to parents/patients wanting to learn more about their illness.”

—Doody’s Review Service


“Fonagy is one of the fine minds of our era. He brings a thoughtful, rigorous, no-nonsense approach to intervention science. He and his team of collaborators have produced an unusually comprehensive synthesis of the intervention evidence on a broad array of youth mental health problems. This book is a valuable resource for professionals who work with children and adolescents and for researchers who seek to understand young people and their challenges. It is also an excellent text for classes on developmental dysfunction and youth psychotherapy.”

—John R. Weisz, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology, Harvard University


“There has never been a greater time for a volume such as this! The second edition provides a sophisticated and thorough state-of-the-art review of current treatments for child and adolescent mental health problems. The growth in evidence-based practice since the first edition is impressive—and so is the capacity of Fonagy et al. to integrate this new body of literature in a way that truly advances our ability to help young people and their families. This volume is essential for clinicians seeking to incorporate evidence into their interventions, as well as an important refresher for experienced clinicians. It would also be used as a text for graduate-level courses in child and adolescent clinical psychology and psychiatry.”

—Carla Sharp, PhD, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Clinical Psychology and Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, University of Houston


“At a time when trials have advanced rapidly in numbers and scope, this book provides a thorough and thoughtful account of the clinical science about available child and adolescent mental health treatments. The expanded coverage in the second edition, and the accessible summaries of the evidence, will be valuable to practitioners. Since the evidence base for therapies is given increasing importance in treatment planning, the book's emphasis on the limitations of the evidence will also be welcome and stimulating. I recommend this book as a resource for practitioners and students in child and adolescent mental health.”

—Eric Taylor, FRCP, FRCPsych (Hon.), FMedSci, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Emeritus), King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry


“The second edition of What Works for Whom? is more than an update. It takes a much broader approach than the first edition, with greater emphasis on the contexts in which interventions for child mental health disorders are delivered. The summaries of evidence for each type of disorder are particularly helpful. I recommend this book as an essential point of reference for all professionals who provide child and adolescent mental health services, and for those training to work in this complex field.”

—Philip Graham, FRCPsych (Hon.), Emeritus Professor of Child Psychiatry, Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom