Depression and Suicide

are necessary for social program credibility. Similar

organizations have evolved in other countries. With these

exemplars, the wonder is why schools of social work have not

developed comparable research capacity at the state and metro-

politan level.

In sum, Gray, Plath, and Webb have presented an important

book for critiquing the generation and application of data in

social work. The book addresses major epistemological issues,

and the overview of the globalization of EBP is impressively

detailed. The shortcoming of Evidence-Based Social Work is

that it fails to seize the opportunities implicit in the empirical

project. Thus, the authors conclude that EBP ‘‘may well be

replicating some of the most pernicious effect of ‘technological

reasoning’ in advanced capitalist societies’’ (p. 189). Doubt-

less, there is a downside to all institutional configurations: tech-

nology, economy, polity, education, and the like; at the same

time empiricism has been an important source of social reform.

In the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression,

skepticism about empiricism may be current among university-

based intellectuals, but among those attempting to ameliorate

the rapidly deteriorating circumstances of people worldwide,

it remains the common denominator for addressing social and

economic injustice. Social work could play a larger role, in that

effort if it were more engaged in generating useful evidence. In

that respect, less rhetoric and more data, please.

References

Anastas, J., & Congress, E. (1999). Philosophical issues in doctoral

education in social work. Journal of Social Work Education, 35,

143-153.

Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2003). The growth of social work educa-

tion programs, 1985–1999. Journal of Social Work Education, 39,

279-295.

Kuhn, T. S. (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions. IL: Univer-

sity of Chicago Press.

Stoesz, D. (2005). Quixote’s ghost: the right, the liberati, and the

future of social policy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Stoesz, D., Karger, H. J., & Carrilio, T. (2010). A dream deferred:

How social work education lost its way and what can be done

about it. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.

Wulczyn, F., Barth, R., Yuan, Y., Harden, B., & Landverk, J.

(2005). Beyond common sense. New Brunswick, NJ: Transac-

tion Books.

National Association of Social Workers. (2006). Assuring the suffi-

ciency of a frontline workforce: A national study of licensed social

workers. Washington, DC: Author.

LeCroy, C. W. (2008). Handbook of Evidence-Based Treatment Manuals for Children and Adolescents (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press (624 pp, $65 hb, ISBN 019517741X)

Reviewed by: Elizabeth K. Anthony, Arizona State University

DOI: 10.1177/1049731509331878

The Handbook of Evidence-Based Treatment Manuals for

Children and Adolescents (2nd edition) is an important contri-

bution to the ongoing quest to intervene effectively with young

people. Busy practitioners need resources that facilitate the

process of dissemination of evaluated treatment approaches

by compiling detailed descriptions of approaches and research

support conveniently in one place. In his second edition of the

Handbook, Craig Winston LeCroy puts his extensive back-

ground in child and adolescent treatment to work and assem-

bles a resource for practitioners looking for empirically

supported treatments for common child and adolescent prob-

lems. Building on the first edition, this revised and expanded

version includes practical explanations of treatment manuals

for prevention, treatment of social problems, and treatment of

clinical problems. A wide range of issues are addressed, such

as anger, anxiety, anorexia nervosa, substance abuse, HIV, dat-

ing violence, and suicide attempts.

The book begins with a critical examination of the utility of

treatment manuals, including discussion of common critiques

of the use of manualized treatment and an overview of the

major components in implementation, such as treatment fide-

lity and transportability. While making a case for the utility

of treatment manuals in contemporary practice, LeCroy also

reviews arguments suggesting that treatment manuals represent

a ‘‘cookie cutter’’ or mechanistic approach that does not allow

for creativity in working with clients. Similar critiques have

been posited against the evidence-based practice movement

and related approaches such as clinical practice guidelines and

often represent misconceptions about the evidence-based prac-

tice process (specifically the role of the clinician, client prefer-

ence, clinical judgment, etc.).

Following the introductory chapter, the individual treatment

manual chapters are organized in three major sections: preven-

tion, social problems, and clinical problems. Prevention treat-

ment manuals include social problem-solving skills training

targeting risk factors for childhood aggression, delinquency,

and substance abuse; group mentoring for preventing dating

violence for adolescent girls; HIV prevention for African

American female adolescents; and social skills training in a

group setting. Treatment manuals for social problems include

anger management education for teenagers, family-based inter-

vention for adolescents in families affected by HIV, treatment

for anxiety-based school refusal, group intervention for chil-

dren of divorce, and a forgiveness intervention curriculum for

young children (ages 6 to 8). Finally, clinical treatment man-

uals include cognitive-behavioral treatment for child and ado-

lescent anxiety, cognitive-behavioral intervention for

adolescent suicide attempts, a home token economy for

332 Research on Social Work Practice 20(3)

332

families, family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia

nervosa, strengths-oriented family therapy for substance-

involved teens, and multiple family groups for youth

behavioral difficulties.

Each chapter provides an introduction to the treatment man-

ual that includes background information about the approach

such as theoretical frameworks, general considerations for use

of the approach such as adaptations that may be necessary, and

evidence to support the treatment manual. Each introduction is

then followed by the treatment manual, specifically step-by-

step instructions for how to implement the treatment, complete

with detailed instructions for each unit. For example, chapter

11, ‘‘Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Child and Adoles-

cent Anxiety: The Coping Cat Program,’’ begins with a

description of the rationale and development of treatment, evi-

dence for treatment, and then an introduction to the protocol

and issues to consider when conducting the intervention (age,

format, IQ, etc.). The Coping Cat Program consists of 16 ses-

sions that are individually outlined and described in sufficient

detail so that clinicians can implement the intervention. Exam-

ples from other chapters include a list of materials needed and

specific discussion probes or problem-solving scenarios that

can be used each week. Some treatment manuals include more

detailed procedural information than others, dependent on a

number of factors such as the techniques the authors used, the

purpose of the treatment, and how extensively the treatment

manual has been tested and refined.

A range of evidence supports the different treatment man-

uals. Some manuals have been evaluated with rigorous criteria

(such as randomized controlled trials) and in other cases, the

researchers used the research literature to inform the develop-

ment of the treatment but have not yet tested the manualized

treatment. In the preface, LeCroy indicates that he requested

that authors summarize the evidence for their manual, and he

did not apply ‘‘a conservative standard of evidence’’ as this

would eliminate many manuals. While the treatment manuals

in the Handbook are reasonable to include and may represent

the status of research in these areas, the term evidence based

can lead the reader to assume evidence of a rigorous nature

across all treatment manuals that does not exist. To address this

concern, LeCroy challenges the reader in the preface to make

an independent assessment of the evidence for each treatment

manual. Interpretations of this challenge will vary among

practitioners.

Given the proprietary nature of many treatments, the authors

who contributed to this collection generously shared sufficient

information for their treatment manual to be implemented. Dif-

ficulty obtaining agreements due to the separate publication of

treatment manuals prohibited use of manuals for some desired

treatment areas such as attention deficit disorder in this second

edition. While the Handbook does not cover every problem, a

wide array of common concerns that child and youth practi-

tioners are likely to encounter are presented and may stimulate

ideas for developing new treatment manuals.

Overall, the Handbook is well written and draws on contri-

butions from scholars in a variety of important clinical areas,

resulting in a valuable resource for students and practitioners

alike. The Handbook is an excellent addition to direct/clinical

practice courses with children and youth. Students are likely to

benefit from the use of the text in practice long after the course

has ended. For soon-to-be full-time practitioners eager for a

handy resource right at their fingertips, this handbook offers

students a detailed understanding of some innovative treatment

models. Practitioners working with children, youth, and fami-

lies will likely also find the text to be useful in their attempts

to provide empirically supported treatments for a variety of

child and adolescent issues.

Lanci, M. and Spreng, A. (2008). The Therapist’s Starter Guide: Setting Up and Building Your Practice, Working with Clients, and Managing Professional Growth. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2008. 359 pp. $40.00. ISBN 047022892X.

Reviewed by: Jeffrey F. Skinner, The University of Georgia School of Social Work, University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

DOI: 10.1177/1049731509344859

This is a refreshing ‘‘how to book, and what about that book’’

written in an engaging conversational style, which in most

places emulates the mentoring style often embedded in produc-

tive clinical supervision. It addresses both the administrative

and clinical aspects of starting a private psychotherapy prac-

tice. The intended audiences are recent graduates transitioning

into full- or part-time psychotherapy practice, and therapists in

their first few years of psychotherapy practice, who have not

yet established a specialized practice. Specifically, the book

targets those in the professions of clinical social work, marriage

and family therapy, counseling psychology, and mental health

counseling. The authors propose that this manuscript narrows

the gap between theory/science and praxis/art, which they

regard as a major deficit common in graduate school education

and curricula. Thus, the authors offer their combined, accumu-

lated practice wisdom for the taking to those desiring to: articu-

late their therapeutic style, develop pragmatic clinical skills,

understand the importance of ethical practice, edify their mar-

ketable clinical knowledge, foster professional growth, and

exercise successful business acumen.

Lanci and Spreng ground their expertise and authority in

their many years of outpatient and inpatient clinical practices,

which addressed a variety of presenting problems and diag-

noses. Lanci is a licensed clinical social worker and Spreng

has an MEd (sic), and is a licensed mental health counselor.

More importantly, they espouse their years of reviewing

Book Reviews 333

333