Cool Kids at School

Program description

Cool Kids provides a suite of programs that help upper primary and secondary students aged 7 to 17 years to manage anxiety and emotional distress. It teaches young people practical skills to help reduce anxiety and overcome heightened anxiety and/or anxiety disorders.

Cool Kids aims to provide early intervention for students with heightened symptoms of anxiety. There are separate versions of the program for primary school and high school students.

Programs are delivered by an accredited provider, usually a school counsellor or psychologist. The program can be delivered to either groups of students or to an individual student who meets with a school-based Cool Kids provider and is supported by a range of resources.

Intended outcomes

• Reduction in anxiety
• Reduction in negative attitudes and beliefs
• Improved social connections, family relationships, and school connections
• Reduced school absences

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: Upper primary school and secondary school staff who have training in cognitive behaviour therapy.
• Program adaptability: The accredited provider is given the ability to adapt specific examples and individual practice tasks for each student’s needs and context. The program is adaptable for neurodivergent students. A separate version of Cool Kids exists that is specifically developed for autistic children and adolescents. Program materials and resources (written and visual) are developed with diversity and inclusivity in mind. The program is also adaptable for out-of-home care students.
• Staffing: Each school requires at least one accredited provider. The accredited provider must have a 4-year undergraduate or 2-year postgraduate degree in health (psychology, counselling, social work, occupational therapy) or education, in addition to training in cognitive-behavioural therapy. Backfill should not be required as the program is commonly run by school-based accredited providers.
• Training requirements: The accredited provider must complete the Cool Kids training course, which can be completed online, and complete an accreditation process. Accreditation lasts 5 years and includes access to additional therapeutic resources. Accreditation is renewable and involves a short webinar on the latest research and reflection on complex cases. Training and accreditation can be conducted online or via in-person workshop in specific regions by negotiation. Training requires access to the internet.
• Factors to consider: There is no minimum number of participants. Face-to-face delivery can be individual or in groups of 8–10. The program involves 8–10 sessions of 40 to 50-minute sessions if done face-to-face, or 4–8 sessions if done online. Accredited providers have access to free, monthly drop-in sessions. If required, accredited providers can seek access to advice from qualified Macquarie staff at a fee for service rate.
• Australian context: The program has been developed, evaluated and applied in Australia.

Cost

Minimum cost

$1,000+

Detailed cost

Each school requires at least one accredited provider.

Training and accreditation course for the Cool Kids program costs $1,122.66 (incl. GST) per staff member and includes:

• online, self-paced course of approximately 12 hours, to be completed within 6 weeks
• master workshop set of therapist manual, parent workbook, child workbook and teen workbook and postage
• on completion of the course, accreditation valid for 5 years.

Participants must have CBT training to participate in the course.

Additional costs include:

• optional online self-paced training module for online program delivery and 12 months online program login - $144.38 incl. GST per staff member
• additional workshop set of parent, child and teen workbooks – printed version - $80.85 incl. GST per student
• additional workshop set of parent, child and teen workbooks – online version - $144.38 incl. GST per student
• one on one personalised support to accredited Cool Kids providers through the Emotional Health Clinic - $231.00 incl. GST per hour (charged at a pro-rata rate in half hour increments)
• accreditation renewal (available after 5 years of initial program, for an additional 3 years) - $220.00 incl. GST.

Discounts are offered when ordering multiples of the same set or item or set of materials:

• 10% on 10–24 quantity
• 15% on 25+ quantity.