Clinical interviews for children and adolescents, assessment to intervention, 2^ndedition.

Stephanie H. McConaughy

 Stephanie McConaughy is professor of psychiatry and psychology in Vermont University.  She is a member of the development team for the Achenbach system.  She published books, papers, and chapters about  the assessment of child behavior, emotional and learning difficulties.  Prof. McConaughy is an educational psychologist, and was the editor of School Psychology Review.

This is a basic book that will suit beginner psychologists, but can also enrich the work of experienced psychologists.  Despite its title, it refers not only to interviews with children and adolescents but also with parents and teachers.  The book contains a detailed model for half structured interviews with these clients. The model includes many questions dealing with several functioning areas.  It also features interview excerpts.  There are also specific discussions about assessing risk for suicide  and  assessing violence and threats of violence  (though there is little discussion of assessing family violence, anxiety and sexual harassment).

What I feel is missing in this book is in depth understanding of the experience of the child, the parents and the teacher, and more thorough discussion of the interview process (although this is certainly discussed).  The book also lacks   conceptualization of the interview as a psychological intervention.  Other missing things are  conceptualizations of questions in various theoretical orientations (dynamic orientation, narrative orientation, strategic orientation and so forth), and conceptualizations of questions that can point to difficulties in different areas of cognition.

For example, on the topic of interviewing children about their school experience and about homework, McConaughy gives research results and statistical information about the percentage of students in special education in the States, and the percentage of parents reporting in the Achenbach that their children are having difficulties in school.  She also refers to research about homework, its importance, and what can cause difficulties in completing homework assignments. 

She doesn't refer to the emotional aspect of the learning experience, for instance dealing with uncertainty and not knowing, a situation that can be dealt with better when there is a "secure base" from which to explore the world (a cohesive self, a functioning family, an ability to "play" with new ideas, an ability to be in a potential space, an ability to refer to others and be in dialogue with others).

She doesn't refer to the cognitive aspect of learning, for example as an ability to conceptualize abstract ideas, to integrate new knowledge and new conceptualizations with existing knowledge and conceptualizations, as an ability to think flexibly, to plan work on a task and to self monitor.  (These are conceptualizations  about the role of fluid ability in learning.  It's possible to conceptualize how each cognitive ability influences learning).  Such emotional and cognitive conceptualizations can guide questions and guide the way the psychologist listens to the child's answers.

Nevertheless, I strongly recommend the book as a good starting point to this topic.  The information in the book is presented in a beautifully organized and practical way.