Introduction to Manualized Interventions

FRIENDS for Life Skillstreaming Defiant Children/Teens Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)

FRIENDS for Life (Paula Barrett) Group-administered cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression and anxiety symptoms for children ages 7-11 (FRIENDS for Children) or adolescents age (FRIENDS for Youth). 10 sessions between minutes in length, administered on a weekly basis, with two follow-up booster sessions and four optional parent sessions. Groups should be comprised of 12 or fewer youth.

FRIENDS addresses the 3 major components of chronic anxiety symptoms: – Mind(i.e., cognition), – Body(i.e. physiological responses), – Behavior(i.e., learning new coping skills) Two manuals are necessary to implement the approach: the group leader’s manual, a children’s workbook, teacher’s resource CD, and other resourcesother resources Manuals are $49.50 each To sign up for training go to

Skillstreaming (Arnold Goldstein) Designed to enhance youths’ social skills, can be used as a universal classroom or a selected small group intervention. Separate curricula exist for early childhood (Skillstreaming in Early Childhood), K-6 (Skillstreaming the Elementary School Child), and 7-12 grades (Skillstreaming the Adolescent). Instructors can run through the entire protocol or select different component skills to meet the needs of specific youth. Cue cards are used to prompt students to use Skillstreaming strategies. To implement Skillstreaming, an educator training video ($125.00), a workbook, student manual, and skill cards are needed ($78.00 for full set) –

Defiant Children and Defiant Teens (Barkley, Robin, Edwards) 18-step program designed both to teach parents the skills they need to manage difficult child/adolescent behavior and to improve family relationships overall. Delineate clear procedures for assessing defiance in children/teens and working with parents, alone or in groups, to reverse problem behavior Clinicians are shown how to help all family members learn to negotiate, communicate, and problem-solve more effectively, while facilitating adolescents' individuation and autonomy (for Defiant Teens) Clinician Manuals $39.00 each; Contain reproducible handouts for parents

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS; Lisa Jaycox) 10-session school-based, cognitive behavioral intervention for trauma exposed adolescents Optional 1-3 individual sessions It incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills in a group format to address symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety related to trauma exposure Informational components for teachers and parents Clinician manuals $34.95; Contains reproducible handouts Register with for training and implementation informationhttp://cbitsprogram.org/

Getting Your School Prepared

First Steps to School Preparedness for Manualized Intervention Implementation 1) Review and select manualized intervention Consider needs of students when selecting intervention Potentially consider administrator/teacher/ family/student input when selecting intervention Decide who will facilitate group

2) Discuss plans for implementation with principal and other key administrators – Explain why group interventions are important/efficient/effective – Solicit feedback re: how to obtain referrals for group, when to implement group, etc. – Provide a brief description of the manualized intervention selected for implementation – session outline,

3) Inform teachers about group and request referrals – Compose a letter or announcement for teachers briefly describing the group intervention – Solicit referrals from teachers

4) Identify space and time to conduct group – Space Private Large enough to accommodate group – Time May consider rotating time of group so students do not consistently miss the same subject/class period Consider lunch or before/after school times, if feasible