Facing Your Fears in Schools: Managing Anxiety in Students With Autism or Related Social and Learning Differences-Facilitator's Manual

A typical school day can be full of anxiety triggers for students with autism or other social/learning needs. Help autistic students face and manage their fears—and overcome a major obstacle to school success—with this highly effective cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program designed for use with students ages 8–14. FYF is evidence based, has been shown to reduce anxiety in students with autism, and is an ideal way to increase student access to critical mental health interventions in school. How It Works The Facing Your Fears (FYF) program consists of twelve 40-minute sessions that help students with autism or related social/learning needs manage interfering anxiety symptoms. The program is flexible: it can be delivered within the school day or before or after school; in 40-minute weekly lessons or in more frequently occurring 20-minute lessons; and in small groups of 2–5 students or individually with a school provider such as a school psychologist or counselor, special education teacher, or other school provider.  With an interactive workbook to guide them, students will manage anxiety using principles of cognitive behavior therapy: Psychoeducation: teaching students to identify their fears and use CBT-based coping strategies to manage physical symptoms and develop positive thinking Graded exposure: giving students opportunities to practice facing their fears one step at a time After each session, parents and other members of the school team receive handouts to help them support students in using their new skills and strategies during the school day and at home. The program also includes a workbook, a series of video clips, and other materials to engage parents and support their participation—a key factor in helping students make progress. Why It Works Facing Your Fears works because it: Uses the proven principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy Targets specific fears that interfere with academic and social success Actively involves parents and other school team members to create a strong continuum of support Engages students with memorable, age-appropriate strategies for managing anxiety Gives students repeated opportunities to practice facing their fears Program Components Manual (available in print and ebook): Includes a detailed plan for each of the twelve student lessons plus the family contact components. Student Workbook (available as fillable PDF download): Contains prompts and activities students use in Sessions 1–12. FYF Parent Workbook (available as fillable PDF download): Includes materials parents and caregivers need for the family contact sessions, plus a detailed overview of the student sessions. (Print copies of the Student Workbooks are also sold separately.) Anxiety PowerPoint slide deck, Helping Students Manage Fears, Anxieties, and Worries: Introduces CBT and the Facing Your Fears program to families and school teams. 6 video clips: Introduce the program and demonstrate student activities.

Table of Contents:
About the Video Clips and Downloads About the Authors Acknowledgments Introduction At A Glance – Outline for Facing Your Fears in Schools Sessions I Program Introduction and Psychoeducation Session 1 Welcome to Group: Getting to Know Each Other Session 2 What Makes Me Worried/Upset, and How I React Session 3 Time Spent Worrying and/or Being Upset: Managing Upset/Worry Session 4 False Alarms: Learning to Calm My Body Session 5 Managing My Mind: Active Minds/Helpful Thoughts Session 6 Plan to Get to Green: Putting it All Together – Calming My Body/Managing My Mind II Graded Exposure Session 7 Introduction to Facing Fears Session 8 Creating Steps to Success/ Practice Facing Fears Session 9 Practice Facing Fears Session 10 Practice Facing Fears Session 11 Practice Facing Fears Optional Pre-Graduation Session Making a Facing Your Fears Movie Session 12 Graduation III Family Sessions Parent Contact 1 Introduction to Facing Your Fears Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety in Students Facing Your Fears – School-Based Version: Program Overview Parent Contact 2 Introduction to Facing Fears Practice Facing Fears: Cycle of Anxiety Appendix A Group Screening Process for Facing Your Fears in Schools Appendix B Sample Fear Hierarchies Appendix C Conducting Successful Exposure Practice Appendix D Frequently Asked Questions Appendix E Fidelity Checklists References Index

About the Author :
Judy Reaven, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and has been the director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic of JFK Partners since 2001. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities as a clinician, researcher, and educator since 1985. Clinical and research interests include the co-occurrence of mental health symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), as well as the development of the Facing Your Fears program for anxiety symptoms in youth with anxiety and ASDs. She has authored a number of peer-reviewed research articles and has presented nationally and internationally on her clinical research. Dr. Reaven has been Principal Investigator on several research projects funded by private foundations dedicated to autism research (Autism Speaks, Cure Autism Now, The Organization for Autism Research). She is currently the principal investigator on a federally funded project (National Institute of Mental Health), training outpatient clinicians to deliver the Facing Your Fears program to youth with anxiety and ASDs. Audrey Blakeley-Smith, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked in the field of developmental disabilities since 1996. Current research interests include the assessment and treatment of comorbid mental health issues in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and the development of peer-mediated interventions in school settings. She is a co-investigator on a National Institute of Mental Health study to train outpatient clinicians in the delivery of the Facing Your Fears program. She is also a clinician on a Health Resources and Services Administration–funded study using telemedicine as a medium to treat anxiety in children with ASDs in underserved communities in Colorado. Dr. Blakeley-Smith is currently the principal investigator on a school-based study exploring the use of peer-mediated interventions to reduce rejection and increase inclusion of children with ASDs, funded by The Organization for Autism Research.