Reviews are presented of behavioral, psychodynamic, and client‐centered therapy studies in which parents were involved in the clinical treatment of their own preschool and preadolescent children. Results of employing parents as change agents are predictable primarily from the theoretical model under consideration. Evidence, attitudes, and opinions suggest the feasibility of utilizing parents as change agents to partially fill the increasing gap between supply and demand for children's mental health service delivery. Information needed to enhance the productivity of parents as change agents is listed.
A target behavior program, structured within a token economy project, was implemented to modify the behavior of an institutionalized patient who exhibited excessive rates of crying and no smiling responses. To affect both responses concurrently, token costs were made contingent upon crying and token payments and/or social reinforcements were provided for smiling. The results indicated both the feasibility of eliminating "anxiety-depression" within an institutional environment and the efficacy of the treatment procedures 14 months after discharge.
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