Anxiety Disorder STAP
Ages 6-12 Years of Age
Each treatment session will be designed and facilitated by a Mental Health Professional consistent with weekly overarching group topics (4 total overarching topics) related to the mental health needs of the youths.
- Awareness and Understanding of How I React to Feelings and Anxiety
- Recognizing and Understanding My Self-Talk, Expectations, Fears, and Roles During Anxious Situations
- Learning and Practicing Coping Cat Skills for Anxiety
- Using My FEAR Plan and My Self-Rating and Rewards
These four overarching topics are based on the Coping Cat Curriculum, developed by Phillip C. Kendall, PhD. Coping Cat is cognitive behavioral treatment designed to assist school-age children to cope with anxiety.
The Coping Cat curriculum will be adapted for the STAP 5-week time period. Core concepts such as awareness and recognition of bodily reactions to feelings specific to anxiety, the recognition and focus on the client’s self-talk during anxiety provoking situations, modifying anxious self-talk into coping self-talk, and the client’s ability to rate him/herself will be covered through the four overarching topics outlined above.
Additionally, the Coping Cat Workbook will be used for each client in order to coordinate client assignments with the Coping Cat Curriculum. Parent education is an important component of the STAP and the Coping Cat Curriculum. Parents are expected to attend the program on a weekly basis so that they can be an active part of the treatment process and learn the skills their child is learning. Additionally, parents are provided education on how they can support their child to use skills learned in the home, school, and community settings.
Autism Spectrum Disorder STAP
Ages 6-15 Years of Age
The Autism Spectrum Summer Therapeutic Activities Program offers structured and therapeutic programming targeting the following areas:
- Display improved coping skills by showing reduction in behaviors related to rigidity or restrictiveness from baseline, Skillstreaming checklist, and parent ATEC reporting.
- Example problematic behaviors to reduce: yelling, temper tantrums, out of seat, refusing directions, arguing with directions, or low intensity aggression.
- Example behaviors to increase: Following directions, expressing feelings appropriately, using self-calming strategies, and/or asking for help.
- Show improvements in social development as evidenced by increase in positive interactions with others from initial baseline, Skillstreaming checklist, and parent ATEC reporting.
- Example problematic behaviors to reduce: arguing with peers, lying, interrupting, isolating.
- Example behaviors to increase: accepting “no.” cooperating in a group, following rules, and or getting attention appropriately.
- Parent education is an important component of the program. Parents are expected to attend a one hour weekly parent education session during which they are taught how to implement behavioral interventions with their children in the home setting. This parent education session will be facilitated by the Mental Health Professional during the STAP lunch hour. The client will not be present during this session. If parents are unable to attend these meetings, handouts and materials covered will be sent home and a Mental Health Professional will give follow-up call to caregivers.