Abstract
The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-C and UP-A) are evidence-based treatment programs with cognitive-behavioral and third-wave behavior therapy elements, aimed at extinguishing distress to intense emotion states and reducing unhelpful action tendencies in such states among youth with emotional disorders. A growing body of literature demonstrates the high prevalence of problematic anger and irritability among youth with emotional disorders, yet evidence-based treatments to address anger and irritability are typically developed more exclusively for youth with externalizing disorders. Given this need, a clinical case example of the UP-C applied to a child with anger and irritability is presented. Application of transdiagnostic theory to both conventional anxiety concerns and to irritability concerns is discussed. We demonstrate the flexibility and utility of a transdiagnostic approach like the UP-A and UP-C for addressing concerns across a range of emotions.
•The UP-A and UP-C are treatments for children with difficulty regulating a range of emotions.•The transdiagnostic nature of the approach allows for treatment of emotions and emotion states like anger and irritability.•The application of the UP-C to this case demonstrates its utility for a range of emotional difficulties that cut across diagnostic categories.