Building Blocks

Abstract

Therapists typically treat a wide range of persons for a diversity of problems. One way to reduce the complexity and difficulty of making decisions about treatment is to fall into a pattern of routinely relying on one particular treatment approach. And as in assessment, this strategy may work well with many of the types of problems we treat. However, although routinely relying on a particular approach may often work well, we consider it important to be open to alternatives. Being pragmatic contributes to choosing the most effective ways for treating children because it places no limits on the nature or type of approach that we adopt, other than the pragmatic constraint that it works. Thus, although we (like everyone else) do have preferred treatment approaches, in the end the criterion we advocate and try to put into practice is to be guided by what works with the present problems and populations we are treating.