Intervention

The Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents are transdiagnostic interventions applicable to a variety of emotional disorders in youth (UP-C/A; Ehrenreich-May et al., 2018). These manuals utilize elements of emotional education, cognitive techniques, behavioral activation/exposure strategies, and mindful awareness (Kennedy et al., 2020). Core processes are targeted across the transdiagnostic treatment like emotional avoidance, mood intolerance, and cognitive flexibility (Kennedy et al., 2019). The UP-C/A is effective in treating a range of emotional disorders in youth (Kennedy et al., 2018; Ehrenreich-May et al., 2017; Queen et al., 2014; Trosper et al., 2009) and is designed to increase emotional awareness, prevent emotional avoidance, increase cognitive flexibility, and prevent maladaptive tendencies in youth (Ehrenreich-May et al., 2018; Kennedy et al., 2020). The UP-A is comprised of eight core modules with an optional parent module designed to be flexible in length. The UP-C is comprised of group or individual therapy sessions, with corresponding parent sessions. It is divided into five modules corresponding to the CLUES skills (“Consider How I Feel;” “Look at My Thoughts;” “Use Detective Thinking and Problem Solving;” “Experience My Emotions;” “Stay Healthy and Happy”; Kennedy et al., 2020). Depending on their age, participants received either the Individual UP-C, Individual UP-A, Group UP-C, or Group UP-A at a university- based research clinic by a graduate student clinician, postdoctoral fellow, or licensed clinician. Clinicians were trained by the developer of the manual prior to seeing clients.