Coping Power

This program is an evidence-based intervention for behavioral challenges in pre-adolescent children (grades 5 and 6). Continuing the work of the Fast Track Program, this intervention targets children who are beginning to show signs of severe aggression and 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 behavior in their adolescence. By targeting these children before their behavior has become extremely dangerous or unmanageable, this program has been proven to reduce the occurrence of these problems and to improve functioning in school.

Studies have shown that children who demonstrate aggressive behaviors 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 behaviors. 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. The facilitator's guide include step-by-step instructions for accurately implementing this evidence-based program. This is the corresponding workbook for children, which includes worksheets and monitoring forms to track progress and reinforce the skills learned in the group sessions.