The aim of this study was to inquire the interaction of developmental psychology research on adolescence and the professional field of adolescent psychotherapy. This inquiry included a literary review, which indicated the importance of considering developmental issues in clinical practice, and 15 psychotherapists' interviews (psychologists and psychiatrists), representing different approaches, about their psychotherapy processes. The analysis was made in three consecutive stages: qualitative description (theme process), inductive analysis (critical themes identification), and critical analysis (comparing critical themes with the literature). The results indicated that therapists have not been using research data in their practices, and that their knowledge about adolescence is updated confusedly, from the direct contact with the patients. Thus, clinicians experience difficulties in evaluating their interventions' outcomes. Those difficulties portray a psychotherapeutic field in transition, where professionals tend to move away from clear-cut theoretical affiliations towards privileging practical experience.
Human development; psychotherapy; adolescence
