Running Head: LEARNING TASK 1

Is Coping Cat an Effective Intervention Tool for Children with Anxiety Disorders at my Current
Place of Employment?

Christina Majcher
University of Calgary
January 16, 2015

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Is Coping Cat an Effective Intervention Tool for Children with Anxiety Disorders at my Current
Place of Employment?
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders affecting children and
youth (Albano, Chorpita & Barlow 2003). Every classroom has children with varying degrees of
anxiety. Many of these children manage anxieties with minimal support. However, some
children suffer in silence with anxiety that often goes undetected and unnoticed (Albano et al.,
2003). Without intervention and support, children are often trapped in a cycle that can lead to
greater risk and likelihood of comorbid disorders, particularly depression and substance abuse
(Albano et al., 2003; Campbell, 2003; Roemer, Orsillo & Salters-Pedneault, 2008). Research
conducted over the last 20 years has proven that prognosis for individuals who receive treatment
for anxiety is significantly better than those who are left untreated (Campbell, 2003; Albano et
al., 2003; Hoffmann, Sawyer, Witt & Oh, 2010). There are many interventions available to help
improve a childs ability to function and find success in life.
One intervention program that I am curious in learning more about is Coping Cat (2006).
Although I am aware that it is an evidence-based strategy from our class textbook, cognitivebehavioral interventions in educational settings (Mennuti & Freeman, 2012), I am wondering
how effective it is for children with anxiety disorders, particularly with several students that I am
supporting. The school where I am currently employed has a number of universal prevention
based programs such as Friends for Life (2005) and Second Step (1992). We also have several
programs that we use for small group sessions, such as Michelle Garcia Winners Social
Thinking Curriculum. However, the school lacks interventions for children with existing mental
health diagnoses. As a result, children are often referred outside of school to community
organizations. We see limited success and transference of skills when children work with

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therapists outside of school. As indicated by Menutti and Freeman (2012), school-based
counsellors have access to adult and peer interactions and influences that these outside-of-school
clinicians do not have access to. I do feel that this is one aspect with the lack of generalization or
transfer of skills that is so often associated with outside of school counseling. Furthermore, I am
looking for a program that could be supported by both outside of school professionals and
reinforced or followed-up in a school environment. Therefore, I am interested in Coping Cat
(2006) as a suitable intervention to add to our toolkit.
Although the efficacy of Coping Cat (2006) is outlined in a latter section of our text by
Mennuti and Freeman (2012), looking at the original articles provides a broader understanding of
why it is held in such high regard. Research conducted by Albano and Kendall (2002) supports
the use of the Coping Cat (2006) program to treat anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety
disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social phobia disorder (SoP). Kendall
(1994) conducted the initial study on the efficacy of Coping Cat (2006). His study of 47 children
aged 8-13 years randomized the children to either the CBT training or a wait-list condition. The
results of his study showed that children who participated in the Coping Cat (2006) program
demonstrate significant improvements from pre to post treatment in parent and self reporting
scales, coping abilities, observations and overall behavior (Kendall, 1994). Furthermore, not
only did 66% of children no longer meet the criteria for the pretreatment diagnosed anxiety
disorder, gains were maintained after the initial year (Kendall, 1994). Kendall (1997) conducted
a follow-up study of 94 children aged 9-13 years. Once again results demonstrated that 50% of
the children that received the treatment no longer met criteria for an anxiety disorder post
treatment and these gains were maintained after a one year follow-up (Kendall, 1997).

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While exploring the Coping Cat (2006) program, I was interested in the computer-based
component of the program. Time, resources and teacher training are typical challenges with
implementing interventions in schools. The adaptability of the program with the computer based
portion sounded great, but I wondered if it affected the efficacy of the program? Camp Cope-ALot (CCAL) (2008) is an interactive software program based on the Coping Cat (2006) program.
A study conducted by Khanna and Kendall (2010) looked at the feasibility, acceptability and
effects of this program on children aged 7-13. Findings from their study indicated significant
gains post-treatment for the children who participated in the CCAL (2008), with many of the
children no longer meeting criteria for their principal diagnosis (Khanna and Kendall, 2010).
Even with the computer-assisted delivery, the program provides an effective and evidence-based
intervention.
Although it is clear from research that this is an effective intervention to treat children
and youth with anxiety disorders, I wonder about its applicability to other diagnosed disorders
such as autism spectrum disorders or disorders that are comorbid with anxiety? This is an area
that I would like to explore further. Another interesting piece that I learned during this inquiry is
that the Friends for Life program is modeled after the Coping Cat (2006) program. I was not
previously aware of this commonality and find it helpful, as the two programs are similar. I now
see the benefit of implementing one program after the other as a follow-up or refresher.
I have always been fascinated when my academic and professional worlds intersect. This
weeks inquiry summary has provided me with another fantastic opportunity to increase my
understanding of a specific intervention program. This knowledge will be directly applied within
my work environment.

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References
Albano, A. M., & Kendall, P. C. (2002). Cognitive behavioural therapy for children and
adolescents with anxiety disorders: Clinical research advances. International review of
psychiatry, 14(2), 129-134.
Albano, A. M., Chorpita, B. F., & Barlow, D. H. (2003). Childhood Anxiety Disorders. In
Barkley, R. A. & Mash, E. J. Editor (Eds.)., Child psychopathology, 2nd edition, 279-329.
New York: Guilford Press.
Campbell, M. A. (2003). Prevention and intervention for anxiety disorders
in children and adolescents: A whole school approach. Australian Journal of
Guidance and Counselling, 13(1), 47-62.
Barrett, P. (2005). Friends for life. Australian Academic Press.
Beland, K. (1992). Second step: A violence prevention curriculum, grades 1-3 (2nd Edition).
Seattle, WA: Committee for Children.
Kendall, P. C., & Hedtke, K. A. (2006). The coping cat workbook. Workbook Pub.
Kendall, P. C., & Khanna, M. (2008). Camp cope-a-lot. Ardmore, PA: Workbook.
Mennuti, R. B., Christner, R. W., & Freeman, A. (Eds.). (2012). Cognitive-Behavioral
Interventions in Educational Settings : A Handbook for Practice (2nd Edition). Florence,
KY, USA: Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Roemner, L., Orsillo, S.M., & Salters-Pedneault, K. (2008). Efficacy of an acceptance-based
behavior therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Evaluation in a randomized controlled
trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76 (6), 1083-1089.

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