An Evaluation of Stepped Care for Child Anxiety

Stepped Care: consist of 3 treatment steps. Participants and their parents in this condition will first receive the least intensive intervention followed by more intensive interventions if required. Step 1 will involve completion of the validated self-help program Helping your Anxious Child (primary school participants) or Cool Teens (high school participants). The program will be available in both online and workbook formats and consists of 10 modules each taking 30-90 minutes to complete. A period of 12 weeks is allocated for completion of the self-help program during which time families will receive 4, 30 minute contacts with a CBT therapist (by telephone or email self-selected by families). Based on our previous work, scheduled sessions will involve checking of progress, motivational prompts, and assistance with difficulties Therapists will also be available for client-initiated contact between sessions. Step 2 will involve the same program and treatment length as offered in standard care. Step 3 will involve an intensive intervention for treatment non-responders. This is a 12x 50 minute session individual program, held weekly over a 12 week period, for children/adolescents and their primary caregiver with content based on a functional assessment of barriers and limitations to the previous treatment. It continues skills from the Cool Kids program in a more intensive fashion, incorporates motivational features and has a strong focus on parenting factors and parent-child interaction. Sessions in step 3 are conducted by clinical psychologists or clinical psychology interns.