Full Description
A typical school day can be full of anxiety triggers for students with autism or other social/learning needs. Help autistic students face and manage their fears--and overcome a major obstacle to school success--with this highly effective cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program designed for use with students ages 8-14. FYF is evidence based, has been shown to reduce anxiety in students with autism, and is an ideal way to increase student access to critical mental health interventions in school.How It Works
The Facing Your Fears (FYF) program consists of twelve 40-minute sessions that help students with autism or related social/learning needs manage interfering anxiety symptoms. The program is flexible: it can be delivered within the school day or before or after school; in 40-minute weekly lessons or in more frequently occurring 20-minute lessons; and in small groups of 2-5 students or individually with a school provider such as a school psychologist or counselor, special education teacher, or other school provider. With an interactive workbook to guide them, students will manage anxiety using principles of cognitive behavior therapy:
Psychoeducation: teaching students to identify their fears and use CBT-based coping strategies to manage physical symptoms and develop positive thinking
Graded exposure: giving students opportunities to practice facing their fears one step at a time
After each session, parents and other members of the school team receive handouts to help them support students in using their new skills and strategies during the school day and at home. The program also includes a workbook, a series of video clips, and other materials to engage parents and support their participation--a key factor in helping students make progress.
Why It Works
Facing Your Fears works because it:
Uses the proven principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy
Targets specific fears that interfere with academic and social success
Actively involves parents and other school team members to create a strong continuum of support
Engages students with memorable, age-appropriate strategies for managing anxiety
Gives students repeated opportunities to practice facing their fears
Program Components
Manual (available in print and ebook): Includes a detailed plan for each of the twelve student lessons plus the family contact components.
Student Workbook (available as fillable PDF download): Contains prompts and activities students use in Sessions 1-12.
FYF Parent Workbook (available as fillable PDF download): Includes materials parents and caregivers need for the family contact sessions, plus a detailed overview of the student sessions. (Print copies of the Student Workbooks are also sold separately.)
Anxiety PowerPoint slide deck, Helping Students Manage Fears, Anxieties, and Worries: Introduces CBT and the Facing Your Fears program to families and school teams.
6 video clips: Introduce the program and demonstrate student activities.
Contents
About the Video Clips and Downloads
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
At A Glance - Outline for Facing Your Fears in Schools Sessions
I Program Introduction and Psychoeducation
Session 1 Welcome to Group: Getting to Know Each Other
Session 2 What Makes Me Worried/Upset, and How I React
Session 3 Time Spent Worrying and/or Being Upset: Managing Upset/Worry
Session 4 False Alarms: Learning to Calm My Body
Session 5 Managing My Mind: Active Minds/Helpful Thoughts
Session 6 Plan to Get to Green: Putting it All Together - Calming My Body/Managing My Mind
II Graded Exposure
Session 7 Introduction to Facing Fears
Session 8 Creating Steps to Success/ Practice Facing Fears
Session 9 Practice Facing Fears
Session 10 Practice Facing Fears
Session 11 Practice Facing Fears
Optional Pre-Graduation Session Making a Facing Your Fears Movie
Session 12 Graduation
III Family Sessions
Parent Contact 1 Introduction to Facing Your Fears Group
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety in Students
Facing Your Fears - School-Based Version: Program Overview
Parent Contact 2 Introduction to Facing Fears
Practice Facing Fears: Cycle of Anxiety
Appendix A Group Screening Process for Facing Your Fears in Schools
Appendix B Sample Fear Hierarchies
Appendix C Conducting Successful Exposure Practice
Appendix D Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix E Fidelity Checklists
References
Index
