Canada FRIENDS

FRIENDS
in Canada

PREVENTING AND TREATING
ANXIETY IN CHILDREN

The world's leading school-based
anxiety prevention program

FRIENDS for Life helps children and teenagers cope with feelings of fear, worry, and depression by building resilience and self-esteem and teaching cognitive and emotional skills in a simple, well-structured format.

Used in schools and clinics throughout the world, FRIENDS is the only childhood anxiety prevention program acknowledged by the World Health Organization for its 10 years of comprehensive evaluation and practice. It has proved effective for up to 6 years after initial exposure.

In 2004, the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development committed to a province-wide implementation of the FRIENDS program as a risk reduction strategy for anxiety. Delivered in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, this initiative enables school professionals to deliver FRIENDS as a classroom-based universal prevention program or as an early intervention to children who may be at higher risk for anxiety disorders.

Support to BC school districts from the Ministry includes training resources for the required one-day training of school personnel as well as the provision of FRIENDS manuals and workbooks for delivery of the program in schools. For more information go to the Ministry FRIENDS webpage or please contact: MCF.CYMHFRIENDS@gov.bc.ca. For registration contact your local School District office.

Outside of BC, FRIENDS is available across Canada and backed by specialized Canadian training partners.

A wealth of research and practical experience in thousands of classrooms has shown that exposing anxious children to a complete 10-session FRIENDS program can reduce their risk of developing a disorder for up to 6 years. Children with normal levels of worry benefit by acquiring resilience to emotional stress.

FRIENDS promotes important self-development concepts such as self-esteem, problem-solving, self-expression, and building positive relationships with peers and adults and fits in well with a school's normal curriculum.

FRIENDS does not require specialist staff, but can simply be run by teachers in normal class times. It does not involve any clinical assessment or diagnosis and avoids labeling children as anxious or different. The program is consistently described as a rewarding teaching experience that encourages the sharing of positive emotions. Students say that they enjoy the program and find it helpful in their day-to-day lives.

In each FRIENDS session, students are guided through a series of class-based activities designed to teach them how to deal with worrying situations, and they complete home activities between sessions. Parents have an opportunity to support their children and learn more about FRIENDS themselves by attending two parent sessions that may be arranged by the school.

Anxiety is the most common form of mental disorder, affecting up to 15% of children and adolescents. Anxiety significantly interferes with a child’s ability to confidently handle everyday situations including relationships with peers, adults and family, and school achievement. If left unattended, these anxiety difficulties may continue into young adulthood, sometimes leading to depression. FRIENDS combats anxiety by fostering an emotional resilience in children and teenagers that will stay with them for life.

Qualified clinical psychologists and senior guidance personnel experienced in CBT may use the FRIENDS for Life children's program as a treatment protocol for individual client work. For those who wish to have the additional option of running the program in a group setting for either treatment or prevention, including teachers and other health and educational professionals, essential one-day group training programs are available.

Interested schools may purchase a sample of the FRIENDS materials for evaluation from www.publications.gov.bc.ca prior to receiving training. (Click on "Go Shopping" and search for "FRIENDS").

To read more about FRIENDS, visit the international FRIENDS web site.

FREE DOWNLOADS    • Introduction to FRIENDS
                                        • FRIENDS Evidence Base
                                        • Colour flyer

Download PDF copy

What the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development says
about FRIENDS:

"Research suggests that there is good evidence to support new public policy investments in both preventing and treating anxiety disorders in children. Our review of the literature revealed a cognitive-behavioural program, FRIENDS, that appears to be efficacious across the entire spectrum, as a universal prevention program, as a targeted prevention program and as a treatment."

“In partnership with the Ministry of Education and the school districts, this program can provide mental health and educational professionals with the tools to identify and help children with anxiety disorders and their families.”

What the BC Ministry for Education says about FRIENDS:

“The No. 1 goal of our education system is to help BC students achieve their best. FRIENDS provides the early support some children need to reduce their anxiety and make their school years healthier and more successful.”

See FRIENDS featured
in TIME Magazine

All FRIENDS training accredited by

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