Showing you can do it: Homework in therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders

This article discusses the application of homework tasks in an empirically supported treatment for children (aged 8-13 years) with anxiety disorders Within this program, homework tasks-through practice and rehearsal in the child's natural environment-are an important ingredient to enable the child to increase his or her mastery of the information/skills covered in each session. The homework tasks also provide an opportunity for the therapist to check the child's grasp of the session content through unassisted application of the material. This article discusses issues that arise in the application of homework tasks with a child population (e.g., compliance). Homework in both child- and family-focused treatment is discussed. The issues addressed regarding homework, although raised in the context of anxious children in a cognitive behavioral treatment program, may be broadly applied to children in psychotherapy. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.