TY - JOUR TI - Feasibility and acceptability of web-based coaching in dialectical behavior therapy for youth school refusal DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3T155KG PY - 2015 AB - School refusal (SR) affects a substantial proportion of youth and is associated with a number of negative outcomes if left untreated. Research on treatments for SR suggests existing treatments are relatively effective, but there are a number of ways in which the efficacy of such treatments could be enhanced. Videoconferencing technology may enhance SR treatment while minimizing the additional burden on families seeking treatment. In a novel adaptation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for youth with SR, videoconferencing was used to provide Web-Based Coaching (WBC) on school mornings. Establishing the feasibility and acceptability of WBC is an important step in the development of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Youth School Refusal (DBT-SR). The focus of the current study was assessing the feasibility and acceptability of WBC as used in an open trial of DBT-SR. Therapists, youth, and parents completed questionnaires throughout treatment about the feasibility (e.g., ease of set up) and acceptability (e.g., utility, privacy concerns) of WBC. To assess the therapeutic functions WBC may serve, participants responded to open-ended questions inquiring about the ways WBC was helpful. Results showed that parents and therapists gave generally high ratings of feasibility and acceptability, demonstrating that WBC can be feasibly and acceptably implemented. Responses suggest that WBC may help families generalize therapy skills, help youth regulate sleep or routines, allow therapists to give real-time support, and give therapists ecologically valid assessment. Youth gave lower responses, and possible reasons for this are discussed. Recommendations are provided for future development of WBC. Future studies must examine WBC with a larger sample, use community clinicians, and incorporate objective data. KW - Clinical Psychology KW - Dialectical behavior therapy KW - School attendance LA - eng ER -