Cool Kids is designed for young people 7-17 years of age who are experiencing anxiety that is impacting on their everyday life. Cool Kids is helpful for a broad range of fears and worries including:

• Fears and worries about being separated from loved ones or home.

• Worries about what other people think when performing or in social situations.

• Fears of specific situations or experiences (such as the dark, dogs, spiders, needles, doctors or storms).

• Worrying about many different aspects of life including school, health, family and anything new or unknown.

• Feeling panicky or overwhelmed in a range of situations

• Wanting to avoid going places or attending school 

During the program young people are taught three core skills;

• How to identify anxious thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, 

• How to discover realistic thoughts and expectations (detective thinking), and,

• How to gradually build independence and confidence by facing fears (stepladders) 

If needed, additional skills such as problem solving and relaxation are also introduced to help manage difficult situations. 

Parents are an important part of both Cool Kids and Chilled. They are shown how to support their child in the use of the anxiety management skills and a section of the program focuses specifically on parenting strategies that encourage children to self-manage anxiety. 

During each session families practice skills during discussion, games, role play and in real life situations. Practice tasks are a crucial part of the program and are given following every session. Practice tasks encourage the use of new skills in everyday life. 

The Cool Kids program was developed by Macquarie University in Sydney Australia and is used in clinics, schools, and hospitals around the world. The program has undergone continual scientific evaluation and development to include the latest understanding of anxiety and its treatment. This research has found that most young people who complete the program show significant improvement including increases in school attendance, confidence, number of friends and involvement in extra-curricular activities and decreases in worry, shyness, fear and family distress. 

At New Perspectives Psychology Practice the programs are offered individually, via telehealth and include the Cool Kids (7-12 years old), Chilled (12-17 years old), Cool Little Kids (parent support for children aged 3-6 years old), Study Without Stress (grades 10-12 high school) programs. 

Lauren Murray is accredited by Macquarie University’s Emotional Health Clinic to use the Cool Kids program.

Enquire for more information