Clinical and Cost Effectiveness of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Pediatric Internalizing Disorders

This project assesses the clinical and cost effectiveness of brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depressed (ages 11-17) and anxious (ages 8-17) youths seen for services in pediatric primary care. This study is designed to compare the impact of brief CBT delivered on-site in pediatric primary care to referral to specialty mental health care (SMHC), as well as obtain an estimate of the total costs of the CBT protocols for depression and anxiety and the cost-effectiveness of the protocols compared to referral to and utilization of SMHC services.