Youth in foster care are at high risk of internalizing problems. However, research is scarce regarding their experiences of mental health treatment. This knowledge is important if mental health services are to meet their needs. Through qualitative interviews, we explored the experiences of youth in foster care (N = 9, aged 16–18 years) having been treated for anxiety and depression. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the transcribed interviews. The youth reported different paths to accessing treatment. They conveyed the need for therapists to build trust and demonstrate genuine care by advocating for them. They valued learning strategies to manage their symptoms and reported that to adopt these strategies, introspection and psychoeducation were necessary. Finally, they emphasized the importance of the treatment setting (e.g., outdoors versus in a traditional office setting). Findings indicate that it was arbitrary as to who helped the youth access treatment. Moreover, for youth to feel they benefitted from the treatment, certain features of the youth–therapist relationship and treatment content proved central. The findings are relevant for clinicians and policymakers within child welfare and youth's mental health services.

中文翻译：

---

寄养青少年焦虑和抑郁的治疗经验：一项定性研究

寄养青少年面临内化问题的高风险。然而，关于他们的心理健康治疗经历的研究却很少。如果心理健康服务要满足他们的需求，这些知识就很重要。通过定性访谈，我们探讨了寄养青少年的经历（氮= 9，年龄 16-18 岁）已接受焦虑和抑郁治疗。使用系统文本压缩来分析转录的采访。这些年轻人报告了获得治疗的不同途径。他们表达了治疗师需要通过为他们辩护来建立信任并展示真正的护理。他们重视管理症状的学习策略，并报告说，要采用这些策略，内省和心理教育是必要的。最后，他们强调了治疗环境的重要性（例如，户外与传统办公室环境）。调查结果表明，谁帮助青少年获得治疗是任意的。此外，为了让青少年感觉自己从治疗中受益，青少年与治疗师关系和治疗内容的某些特征被证明是至关重要的。研究结果与儿童福利和青少年心理健康服务领域的临床医生和政策制定者相关。