The Therapy Process Observational Coding System for Child Psychotherapy-Strategies Scale.

Most everyday child and adolescent psychotherapy does not follow manuals that document the procedures. Consequently, usual clinical care has remained poorly understood and rarely studied. The Therapy Process Observational Coding System for Child Psychotherapy-Strategies scale (TPOCS-S) is an observational measure of youth psychotherapy procedures designed to support the study of usual clinical care by providing a means of characterizing it. Coders independently rated usual care therapy sessions conducted with 43 children (aged 8-15 years) diagnosed with anxiety and depressive disorders. The TPOCS-S showed good interrater reliability, its 5 subscales (e.g., Behavioral, Cognitive, Psychodynamic, Client-Centered, Family) showed good internal consistency, and analyses supported TPOCS-S validity.