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Introduction to FRIENDSAnxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem facing children today, significantly interfering with a child's ability to handle a wide variety of everyday activities, including interpersonal relationships, social competence, peer relations, and school adjustment. If left untreated, childhood anxiety may become a chronic problem with the potential to lead to severe adolescent and adult depression. It is therefore crucial that children and their families have access to effective preventative strategies to deal with anxiety and stress early in life.FRIENDS helps children and youth gain skills such as:
FRIENDS is a community-oriented cognitive-behavioural intervention based on a firm theoretical model which addresses cognitive, physiological and behavioural processes that are seen to interact in the development, maintenance and experience of anxiety. The program has been designed to be effective as both a treatment and a school-based prevention course promoting self-development. When used in schools it is targeted across a single selected grade of children. It can be used in both elementary (usually around ages 10-12) and secondary (usually around ages 15-16) school. The History of FRIENDSFRIENDS stems originally from the research work of psychologist Phillip Kendall in the United States who developed the Coping Cat workbook in the 1980s. Coping Cat was used to individually treat children with a diagnosis of overanxiety, separation anxiety or avoidant disorder. Kendall was the first researcher to conduct a randomised treatment study of general anxiety disorders in children. From 1991, Kendall's work was adapted and extended here in Australia by Dr Paula Barrett into the Coping Koala program for the treatment of children with an anxiety disorder in a group format with an added family intervention component.In 1998 Coping Koala was further refined by Dr Barrett with help from researchers at Griffith University, Queensland, to reflect a user-friendly early intervention and prevention format, and was expanded into two parallel age groups - FRIENDS for Children 7-11 years, and FRIENDS for Youth 12-16 years. The production and editing expertise of noted behavioural science publisher Australian Academic Press was acquired mid-1998 to ensure that the program (and its translated versions) was published with quality materials and that its readability was enhanced. In late 1999, following another round of research validation, a third edition of FRIENDS for Children was completed, which incorporated research feedback Introduction to FRIENDS designed to tailor the program toward an even more teacher-friendly, school-based universal intervention. In late 2004 and early 2005, a major revision to both the Children and Youth programs was undertaken to ensure FRIENDS remains at the cutting edge of excellence in anxiety prevention and treatment. The new editions incorporate the latest research advances in childhood anxiety, depression and resiliency, as well as additional teacher and clinician support information and feedback from the tens of thousands of students, teachers and parents who have benefited from the program. A new general title for the program, "FRIENDS for Life" was introduced to reflect the life-long benefits of the program. FUN FRIENDS, a preschool version is also available from the Pathways Health and Research Centre. Introduction to FRIENDSAn Introduction to FRIENDS booklet (© 2007 Barrett & May) which includes its history, scope, research activities and present use in classrooms and centres around the world, can be downloaded clicking on the link below:
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