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Cool Kids

Scientific Rating:
3
Promising Research Evidence
See scale of 1-5
Child Welfare Relevance Level:
Medium

See descriptions of 3 levels

Brief Description

The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Cool Kids program has been rated by the CEBC in the area of: Anxiety Treatment (Child & Adolescent).

  • Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
  • Target Population: Children and adolescents suffering anxiety disorders

Cool Kids is a program that teaches children and their parents how to better manage the child's anxiety. It can be run either individually or in groups and involves the participation of both children and their parents. The program aims to teach clear and practical skills to both the child and parents. The program is aimed at young people 7-17 years, is fully supported by manuals, and has slightly different versions for children and teenagers. Variations of the program also exist for children with comorbid autism, adolescents with comorbid depression, and for delivery in school settings.

The goals of Cool Kids are to reduce the symptoms and amount of life interference caused by anxiety, including reducing avoidance and family distress and increasing confidence, peer relationships, and engagement in extra-curricular activities.

Essential Components

The essential components of Cool Kids include:

  • Psychoeducation: Including understanding of the components, presentation and nature of anxiety as well as factors involved in its development. Understanding of the relevant components to treatment and their purpose.
  • Cognitive restructuring: Including learning to act like a detective and gather evidence about whether feared events are really highly likely.
  • Parent skills: Including helping parents to manage their anxious child better and reducing their urge to control and overprotect. Also teaching parents strategies to help manage their own anxious feelings.
  • In-vivo exposure: Including the development of stepladders for the child that allows them to gradually face their fears and learn that feared events are unlikely to happen and that they can cope.
  • Social skills: Including how to act in a more skilled manner and engage better with people and to act more assertively with peers.
  • Improved coping strategies: Including dealing more effectively with teasing and bullying, developing a range of coping strategies such as relaxation and reducing poor coping such as drug-taking, and problem solving.

Child Component

Cool Kids was designed with a child component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

  • Anxiety disorders of any type including separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Co-existing disorders are acceptable as long as anxiety is the primary problem.

Age range: 7 – 17

Developmental Delays:

This program was developed for children with developmental delays, and has been tested for children with developmental delays.

Relevant research studies:

Chalfant, A., & Rapee, R. M. (2007). Treating anxiety disorders in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders: A controlled trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1842-1857.

Treatment Involves Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: For children under 12, parents attend every session. For adolescents, parents attend most sessions. Parents learn how to manage children differently, how to manage their own anxieties, and how to help their child implement their new skills outside the therapy sessions.

Parent / Caregiver Component

Cool Kids was not designed with a parent/caregiver component.

Group Format

Cool Kids was designed to be conducted in a group setting, and has been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended group size:

6-8

Testing References:

Rapee, R. M. (2000). Group treatment of children with anxiety disorders: Outcome and predictors of treatment response. Australian Journal of Psychology, 52(3), 125-129.

Rapee, R. M. (2003). The influence of comorbidity on treatment outcome for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 105-112.

Rapee, R. M., Abbott, M. J., & Lyneham, H. J. (2006). Bibliotherapy for children with anxiety disorders using written materials for parents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 436-444.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

  • Community Agency
  • Outpatient Clinic
  • School

Homework

Cool Kids includes a homework component:

Skills learned in sessions are implemented and practiced for homework. This includes monitoring of symptoms, cognitive restructuring practice, in-vivo exposure practice, and practice of relevant skills. Parents also practice child management and anxiety management.

Languages

Cool Kids has materials available in languages other than English:

Chinese, Danish, Icelandic, Korean, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

For information on which materials are available in these languages, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

  • Room space (two group rooms if running in groups)
  • Whiteboard and markers
  • Program manuals for parents and children
  • 1 therapist (2 if running in groups)

Minimum Provider Qualifications

Preferable to have a degree in clinical psychology – the equivalent of a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Practitioners need to be well-trained in standard cognitive behavioral techniques and understanding of psychopathology - ideally clinical psychology training. Experience with working with children and families is preferable.

Education and Training Resources

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training Contact:
Training is obtained:

Regular workshops are conducted at the Centre for Emotional Health, Sydney. Onsite training can be arranged if required.

Number of days/hours:

Typically, a 1-day workshop, but is occasionally delivered over 2 days.

Additional Resources:

There currently are additional qualified resources for training:

Very similar training workshops in a closely related program can be obtained in the US through The Reach Institute - http://www.thereachinstitute.org/

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

This program is rated a "3 - Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list study) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

Show relevant research...

Rapee, R. M. (2000). Group treatment of children with anxiety disorders: Outcome and predictors of treatment response. Australian Journal of Psychology, 52(3), 125-129.

Type of Study: Pretest-posttest control group design
Number of Participants: 95

Population:

  • Age range — 7 to 16 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Caucasian
  • Gender — 39 Males, 56 Females
  • Status — Participants were parents and children with anxiety disorders who presented following media publicity about child anxiety, referral from general practitioners and school counselors, or word of mouth communication about the program.

Location / Institution: Macquarie University Child and Adolescent Anxiety Clinic

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
The study evaluated the outcomes from a nine-session group treatment based on the Cool Kids model for children with anxiety disorders. Parents and children completed the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-CP) and the self-reported Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), Fear Survey Schedule – Revised (FSSC-R), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 1-year follow-up. The results from active treatment are compared with a waitlisted group assessed at pretreatment and posttreatment only. Results indicated that children in the intervention group improved significantly more on several measures of anxiety than did waiting-list controls. The improvements maintained and, in several cases increased, at 1-year follow-up. Limitations include the lack of randomization to the intervention and control groups.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 1 year.

Rapee, R. M., Abbott, M. J., & Lyneham, H. J. (2006). Bibliotherapy for children with anxiety disorders using written materials for parents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 436-444.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 267

Population:

  • Age range — 6-12 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Caucasian
  • Gender — 61% Male, 39% Female
  • Status — Participants were parents with children diagnosed with anxiety disorders who were referred through school counselors, general practitioners, or mental health professionals.

Location / Institution: Macquarie University Anxiety Research Unit

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
The study examined the impact of a 12-week trial of Cool Kids Outreach (bibliotherapy materials based on the Cool Kids anxiety program) for parents of children with anxiety disorders. Participants were randomized to one of three groups: group treatment (Cool Kids), bibliotherapy (Cool Kids Outreach), and to waitlist. Children completed the following measures at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up: the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children and Parents (ADIS-CP), Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS), Children’s Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS), and parents completed the parent version of the SCAS and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results indicated that Cool Kids Outreach demonstrated benefit for children relative to waitlist, but was not as efficacious as standard Cool Kids group treatment. Relative to waitlist, use of written materials for parents with no therapist contact resulted in around 15% more children being free of an anxiety disorder diagnosis after 12 and 24 weeks. Children in all three groups reported significant and marked change over time, but differences between groups were not significant. Limitations included reliance on semi-structured interviews and parent-completed questionnaires as outcome measures.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 3 months.

Chalfant, A., & Rapee, R. M. (2007). Treating anxiety disorders in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders: A controlled trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1842-1857.

Type of Study: Pretest-posttest control group design
Number of Participants: 47

Population:

  • Age range — 8 to 13 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Caucasian
  • Gender — 35 Males, 12 Females
  • Status — Participants were children with anxiety disorders and co-morbid autism spectrum disorders who were referred through their parents, community health centers, mental health professionals, or medical practitioners.

Location / Institution: Annie’s Center and Macquarie University

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
The study examined the effectiveness of a treatment intervention for children with co-morbid anxiety and highly functioning autism spectrum disorders based on the Cool Kids model. Participants were randomized to one of four 12-session intervention groups or a waitlist control for a period of 7 months. Parents and children participated pre- and post-treatment in completing the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-CP) and the self-reported Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS), Children’s Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results indicated that the active treatment condition produced significant change in the dependent variables in contrast to the waitlist control condition. Major limitations included relatively small sample size and diagnostic status was not formally assessed.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: None.

Hudson, J. L., Rapee, R. M., Deveney, C., Schniering, C. A., Lyneham, H. J., & Bovopoulous, N. (2009). Cognitive behavioral treatment versus an active control for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders: A randomized trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(5), 533-544.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 112

Population:

  • Age range — 7 to 16 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 89% Caucasian, 11% Asian
  • Gender — 64 Males, 48 Females
  • Status — Participants were parents and children with a principal anxiety disorder not including depressive symptoms.

Location / Institution: Center for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University.

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Children were randomly assigned to either Cool Kids or a control condition (group support and attention [GSA]). Parents and children participated in completing the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-CP) and the self-reported Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at pre- and post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Results indicated that Cool Kids was significantly more efficacious compared with the GSA condition. At post-treatment and follow-up, a significantly greater proportion of children in the Cool Kids condition no longer met criteria for any anxiety diagnoses, compared with the children in the GSA condition. Limitations included a significant lack of congruence between parent and child reports.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 3 months.

References

Hudson, J. L., Lyneham, H. J., & Rapee, R. M. (2008). Social anxiety. In A. R. Eisen (Ed.), Treating childhood behavioral and emotional problems: A step-by-step, evidence-based approach (pp. 53-102). New York: Guilford.

Lyneham, H. J., & Rapee, R. M. (2005). Evaluation and treatment of anxiety disorders in the general pediatric population: A clinician's guide. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 14(4), 845-862.

Contact Information

Name: Ronald M. Rapee, PhD
Agency/Affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University
Website: www.emotionalhealthclinic.com.au
Email:

Date Reviewed: April 2011