The Coping Power Program is designed for use with preadolescent and early adolescent aggressive children and their parents and is often delivered near the time of children's transition to middle school. Aggression is one of the most stable problem behaviors in childhood. If not dealt with effectively, it can lead to negative outcomes in adolescence such as drug and alcohol use, truancy and dropout, delinquency, and violence. This program has proven effective in helping to avoid these types of problems.
The parent component of the program consists of 16 group meetings also held during the 5th and 6th grade school years. Parents are taught ways of reinforcing their children's positive behaviors, as well as effective discipline techniques for eliminating negative behaviors. Skills for improving family communication, providing academic support in the home, and building family cohesion are also a focus. Parents also learn how to give effective instructions and establish age-appropriate rules and expectations for their children at home. In addition to these basic parenting skills, the program describes relaxation techniques that parents can use to deal with their own stress. Tips for taking care of personal needs and effective time management strategies also help to ease the challenges of parenting an aggressive child.

This program is an evidence-based program for dealing with behavioural problems in pre-adolescent children, concentrating on children who are beginning to show signs of severe aggression amd social dysfunction at school. Children who begin to exhibit aggression as pre-adolescents are much more likely to have histories of substance abuse, interpersonal violence, and criminal behaviour in their adolescence. By targeting these children before their behaviour has become extremely dangerous or unmanageable, this program has been proven to reduce the occurence of these problems, and to improve functioning in school. Studies have shown that children who display aggressive behaviour have maladaptive coping skills and misperceptions of conflict or threat. This program teaches positive strategies for coping with perceived conflict or threat, as well as an understanding of the participant's feelings and motivations behind inappropriate behaviour. The Coping Power program involves an intervention with aggressive children and a simultaneous program for their parents, to increase positive motivations at home as well as at school. This guide is for the the facilitator of the child group, and includes step-by-step instructions for accurately implementing this evidence-based program. There is a corresponding workbook for the children which includes worksheets and exercises to reinforce the skills learned in the group sessions.

Originally published in 1976, this volume begins with a theoretical overview of the major trends in the community psychology movement at the time, as well as a perspective on how the field was developing. The emphasis is on the utility of combining a preventative community-centered orientation with an applied behavioral-analytic focus. The authors take general theoretical notions and demonstrate how they can be turned to concrete methods of dealing with specific practical problems that occur in implementing a 'real-life' program of community oriented intervention. The authors present an innovative model for developing a low cost and effective delivery system for mental health services in public schools. They describe the actual development and implementation of such a system in the school, and also include a comprehensive evaluative scheme for determining the efficacy of this type of endeavor. The actual behavior change strategies that are employed can be used effectively by teaching personnel or psychologists on either a large or small scale. A final unique feature of the volume is the inclusion of a program that will assist teachers and mental health professionals in helping elementary school students learn social problem-solving skills.

The Coping Power Program is designed for use with preadolescent and early adolescent aggressive children and their parents and is often delivered near the time of children's transition to middle school. Aggression is one of the most stable problem behaviors in childhood. If not dealt with effectively, it can lead to negative outcomes in adolescence such as drug and alcohol use, truancy and dropout, delinquency, and violence. This program has proven effective in helping to avoid these types of problems.
The parent component of the program consists of 16 group meetings also held during the 5th and 6th grade school years. Parents are taught ways of reinforcing their children's positive behaviors, as well as effective discipline techniques for eliminating negative behaviors. Skills for improving family communication, providing academic support in the home, and building family cohesion are also a focus. Parents also learn how to give effective instructions and establish age-appropriate rules and expectations for their children at home. In addition to these basic parenting skills, the program describes relaxation techniques that parents can use to deal with their own stress. Tips for taking care of personal needs and effective time management strategies also help to ease the challenges of parenting an aggressive child.

From leading authorities, this volume presents a unique evidence-based group intervention for the 10-15% of children who are challenged by peer difficulties in elementary school. The book features 145 engaging full-color reproducible handouts, posters, and other tools. In addition to teaching core social skills (participation, communication, cooperation, good sportsmanship, conflict resolution), Friendship Group promotes emotional understanding and empathy, self-control, and effective coping with social stressors. Two complete sets of sessions are provided (grades K-2 and 3-5), including step-by-step implementation guidelines. The large-size format facilitates photocopying; purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. See also the authors' Fast Track Program for Children at Risk: Preventing Antisocial Behavior, which describes the landmark study that used Friendship Group in tandem with other school- and family-based interventions.

The specialty of clinical child and adolescent psychology has a history that dates back to the turn of the century when the first psychological clinic for children was reportedly established. As it is currently applied, this broad and wide-ranging specialty took organizational shape from the 1960s through the 1990s, and today child and adolescent psychology shares many characteristics and plays a collaborative role other specialties within professional psychology. These include clinical psychology, cognitive and behavioral psychology, school psychology, and clinical health psychology. In this volume, Dr. Finch and his co-authors provide a comprehensive demonstration of the competencies involved in this specialty, extending far beyond the scope of the age of its identified patient population. Offering an evidence-based best practices model of intervention informed by an integration of multiple professional competencies from a range of other specialty areas, this book is an invaluable resource for all those interested in pursuing the clinical child and adolescent specialty practice. Series in Specialty Competencies in Professional Psychology Series Editors Arthur M. Nezu and Christine Maguth Nezu As the field of psychology continues to grow and new specialty areas emerge and achieve recognition, it has become increasingly important to define the standards of professional specialty practice. Developed and conceived in response to this need for practical guidelines, this series presents methods, strategies, and techniques for conducting day-to-day practice in any given psychology specialty. The topical volumes address best practices across the functional and foundational competencies that characterize the various psychology specialties, including clinical psychology, cognitive and behavioral psychology, school psychology, geropsychology, forensic psychology, clinical neuropsychology, couples and family psychology, and more. Functional competencies include common practice activities like assessment and intervention, while foundational competencies represent core knowledge areas such as ethical and legal issues, cultural diversity, and professional identification. In addition to describing these competencies, each volume provides a definition, description, and development timeline of a particular specialty, including its essential and characteristic pattern of activities, as well as its distinctive and unique features. Written by recognized experts in their respective fields, volumes are comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible. These volumes offer invaluable guidance to not only practicing mental health professionals, but those training for specialty practice as well.

Evidence based and practical, this book presents state-of-the-science approaches for helping K-12 students who struggle with aggressive behaviors, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and autism. It explains the fundamentals of cognitive-behavioral intervention and reviews exemplary programs that offer powerful ways to reach at-risk children and adolescents. Leading authorities thoroughly describe the process of assessment, treatment planning, implementation, and program evaluation. What makes the book unique is its focus on the nitty-gritty of school-based intervention, including how to integrate mental health services into the special education system, overcome obstacles, and provide needed skills to school personnel.

This invaluable guide presents all of the information and clinical tools needed to implement the Anger Coping Program, an empirically supported intervention for students in grades 3-6. Practitioners are taken step by step through setting up treatment groups, teaching vital skills for reducing aggression and disruptive behavior, and building strong partnerships with teachers and parents. Many practical suggestions are provided for adapting the program to different settings and optimizing student outcomes. In a large-size format with lay-flat binding to facilitate photocopying, the book includes reproducible handouts, forms, and parent letters (in English and Spanish).