Lecture
Casimir Colloquium: Modular interventions in childhood
- Date
- Tuesday 23 September 2025
- Time
- Address
- Pieter de la Court
Wassenaarseweg 52
Leiden - Room
- SA49
Modular interventions in childhood: What are the benefits and (methodological) challenges?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is widely regarded as the first-line treatment for childhood anxiety. However, traditional manualized protocols may not always adequately account for the heterogeneity in clinical presentations, developmental levels, and contextual factors observed in practice. Modular CBT provides a flexible framework in which core therapeutic principles are preserved, but treatment components are selected and sequenced based on individual clinical profiles.
This approach enables greater personalization of care and allows for systematic investigation of treatment elements across varying contexts. For example, while parent involvement is commonly integrated into anxiety protocols, evidence regarding its additive value remains inconclusive. The modular format accommodates such variability by allowing clinician-guided decisions about the inclusion or exclusion of specific modules, including those targeting family dynamics.
Nevertheless, the flexibility afforded by modular designs introduces methodological and practical challenges. Clinicians must exercise increased judgment in treatment planning, demonstrate proficiency in adaptive CBT delivery, and maintain fidelity in the absence of a fixed session structure. This presentation outlines the rationale for modular CBT in the treatment of childhood anxiety, reviews initial findings, and identifies key challenges and opportunities for future research.