Objective: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). Method: Hierarchical linear modeling software was used to synthesize the primary studies to calculate an overall effect size estimate and test for between-study variability. Results: Solution-focused brief therapy demonstrated small but positive treatment effects favoring SFBT group on the outcome measures (d = 0.13 to 0.26). Only the magnitude of the effect for internalizing behavior problems was statistically significant at the p < .05 level, thereby indicating that the treatment effect for SFBT group is different than the control group. Conclusions: This study allows social workers interested in solution-focused brief therapy to examine the empirical evidence quickly and with more definitive information.

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The treatment of dually diagnosed adolescents is challenging for many reasons, including complex treatment needs, poor treatment engagement and retention, and a lack of sustainable treatment outcomes. Although a large percentage of adolescents are diagnosed with both substance abuse and mental health diagnoses, research is only beginning to identify effective treatments for this population. The current study systematically reviews randomized clinical trials of interventions for dually diagnosed adolescents. Results examining both between-group effect sizes and within group changes indicate the efficacy of several treatment modalities in improving specific aspects of treatment needs but highlight family behavior therapy and individual cognitive problemsolving therapy as showing large effect sizes across externalizing, internalizing, and substance-abuse outcomes in dually diagnosed youth. The study further discusses the complexities of systematically evaluating the currently limited state of research on dually diagnosed youth. Finally, preliminary guidelines for treating dually diagnosed adolescents are derived from a review of those treatments shown to be most effective. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 6:177-205 (2006)]