Running head: EFFECTS OF OUTPATIENT THERAPY
Critique of “Effects of a Collaborative Outpatient Therapy Program on Self-Concept of
Adolescents with Depression”
Jason Silva
Brigham Young University
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EFFECTS OF OUTPATIENT THERAPY
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Critique of “Effects of a Collaborative Outpatient Therapy Program on Self-Concept of
Adolescents with Depression”
For this assignment I read a research paper from the Therapeutic Recreation Journal
titled “Effects of a Collaborative Outpatient Therapy Program on Self-Concept of Adolescents
with Depression.” I will give a brief summary of the article, discuss the articles strengths and
weaknesses, how the article can be applicable or useful, and my personal reaction to the article
Summary
This article explored the implications of using both Certified Therapeutic Recreation
Specialists (CTRS) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) to treat adolescents with
depression. This was one of the first research studies done in which both an LCSW and a CTRS
were used in an outpatient setting to treat teen depression. In this study the author tried to take
successful therapy techniques from several other disciplines. The outpatient therapy sessions
were experiential in nature. Rather than teaching the subjects about a principle, the therapists
found it better to create situations where the subjects could experience the principle for
themselves. The goal of the outpatient therapy was to improve the self-image of the participants.
Strengths
This study showed that participants had a marked decrease in their feelings of depression
and an increase in their self-image and self-esteem during and after their participation in the
outpatient treatment program. The study also showed very promising results for the
interdisciplinary use of the rec therapists and social workers. This approach combined traditional
therapy techniques employed by social workers with the experiential, recreation based
techniques employed by rec therapists. It was also notable that the participants that attended all
of their group sessions experienced a better recovery of depression symptoms and better self-
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image than those who missed therapy sessions. I would be interested to see further research
around the issue of therapy attendance and its correlation to symptom reduction.
Weaknesses
The major weakness of this article was that it only used seven participants. This makes it
difficult to see the impact of this treatment. There was also no control group used which also
makes it difficult to see the impact of this study. However, in defense of these facts, the author
did note that because of budgetary constraints he was not able to have a larger pool of
participants. There were also three participants that dropped out of the study before the therapy
sessions began. Several of the participants did not see increases in self-image or decreases in
feelings of depression at the times the author had hypothesized. The author himself admitted that
his hypothesis had in-part been disproved because of this.
Usefulness
The results of this article are useful in the treatment of adolescents with depression and
more specifically in helping the participants increase their self-image. At the very least this study
shows enough evidence to warrant further future research. The model used in this article is easily
replicated so others could try the same type of outpatient therapy program and likely have similar
positive results. The article also showed promising results in interdisciplinary work social
workers and recreational therapists.
Personal Reaction
This article was personally meaningful to me because of the interdisciplinary use of both
the CTRS and LCSW because both are degrees I desire to obtain. I have long felt that a
combination of formal therapy techniques combined with therapeutic recreation techniques in the
treatment of clients. I am intrigued that such positive results were reported in this article. I also
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like that the study produced results and implications that the author had not expected and that he
desired to explore those results and implications further.
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References
Riley, K. (2011). Effects of a Collaborative Outpatient Therapy Program on Self-Concept of
Adolescents with Depression. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 45(1), 32-46.