© Child Trends 2004
COPING CATS
OVERVIEW
Coping Cats is an outpatient program aimed at reducing anxiety symptoms in children suffering from anxiety disorders. In a random assignment study of 47 children with various anxiety disorders, participants were either assigned to receive the Coping Cat treatment or to a wait-list control group. Results indicated that children in the treatment group exhibited significantly fewer symptoms of anxiety immediately after the treatment and at the one year follow-up assessment, compared with children in the control group..
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM
Target population: Children and adolescents ages 9 to 13 suffering from anxiety disorders.
The Coping Cats program is an outpatient-program that uses a cognitive behavioral therapy approach. It assists children suffering from anxiety disorders in the following: (1) recognizing anxious feelings and physical reactions; (2) clarifying cognitions in anxiety-provoking situations; (3) developing plans to help cope with these situations; and (4) evaluating performance and administering self-reinforcement as appropriate. Therapists use behavioral training techniques such as real-life situation modeling, role-playing, relaxation training, and contingent reinforcement. Therapists also assign homework tasks to reinforce the skills learned in the sessions.
Coping Cats consists of 16 sessions, the first eight of which are training sessions, which introduce, practice, and reinforce the basic concepts of the treatment. The remaining sessions allow children to further practice the new skills in both imaginary and real-life situations.
The estimated cost of implementing the Coping Cats program is $45.95 per participant. This cost includes the child's workbook ($26.95) and the therapist's implementation manual ($19). Two additional videos are also available, but are optional. "Managing Anxiety in Youth: The Coping Cat Video" costs $50 and provides a general introduction for practitioners new to the program. "The Coping Cat Therapist: Session-by-Session Guide" illustrates the entire treatment sequence in detail using real sessions and is also priced at $50.
EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM
Kendall, P.C. (1994). Treating anxiety disorders in children: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 100-110.
Evaluated population: A total of 47 children between the ages of 9 and 13 with anxiety disorders served as the sample for this study. Of the 47 participants, 30 were diagnosed with over-anxious disorder, eight with separation anxiety disorder, and nine with avoidant disorder. Approximately 60% of the sample were boys, and 76% were white.
Approach: Parents and children first were given an intake evaluation to determine baseline anxiety levels and diagnoses. Children in the sample were randomly assigned to either the 16-week cognitive-behavioral therapy condition, which used treatment materials from the Coping Cat program, or the eight-week wait-list control condition.
Children in the treatment group received an average of 17, 50- to 60-minute therapy sessions. Therapists used the Coping Cat program to provide session-by-session content information as well as content-related therapeutic tasks. Participants were also asked to complete content-related homework in between sessions. After receiving the treatment, participants were assessed for changes in levels of internalizing symptoms. Researchers also assessed control group participants at the end of the eight-week waiting period.
Results: Results indicated that for children in the treatment group, levels of self-reported and parent-reported depression and anxiety were significantly lower than for children in the control group immediately after the manipulation period. However, therapist post-manipulation report of anxiety did not differ between the treatment and control groups. At the one-year follow-up assessments, the positive impacts for children in the treatment group were maintained.
Workbook Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 67
Ardmore, PA 19003
Phone: (610) 896-9797, Fax: (610) 896-1955
E-mail: info@workbookpublishing.com
Website(s):
http://www.workbookpublishing.com
Kendall, P.C. (1994). Treating anxiety disorders in children: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 100-110.
Program categorized in this guide according to the following:
Evaluated participant ages: 9 to13 years
Evaluated participant grades: N/A
Program age ranges in the guide: Middle Childhood, Adolescence
Program components: Counseling/Therapy, Clinic/Provider-Based
Measured outcomes: Social and Emotional Health, Mental Health
Keywords: manual,
cost, children, adolescents, co-ed, White/Caucasian, Depression/Mood Disorders,
Anxiety Disorders/Symptoms, Clinic-based, Counseling/Therapy
Program information last updated on 12/17/08.
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© Child Trends 2004 |