Coping Power

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.