ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 argues that there is an increasing need to provide intervention tailored to adolescents and young adults rather than either children or adults. It notes the increasing provision of services for this age group, but a relative lack of literature tailored for this age range. It further highlights two main difficulties facing clinicians using CBT with this age group. The first is with diagnostic model and its potentially negative impacts on processes of development for adolescents and young adults. The second is with the reduced efficacy of CBT in routine clinical practise when compared to research trials. This chapter explains the fresh approach taken in this book, where CBT is separated from the diagnostic model and is grounded instead in emotion science. Adolescents and young adults therefore learn about emotions and how they work, rather than disorders and their symptoms. This chapter outlines the approach of this book in outlining the theory and the science, before providing practical information on using CBT with adolescents and young adults presenting with a variety of difficulties including with fear, sadness, anger, and emotion dysregulation.
