A "Cool Kids" Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Group for Youth with Anxiety Disorders: Part 2, Analysis of the Process and Outcome of Responders Versus Nonresponders

Abstract

This case study involves a therapy group of four boys and two girls aged 8-12 who suffered from multiple anxiety disorders. The children and their families were treated for 10 sessions over three months with the "Cool Kids" cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program developed by Rapee and his colleagues (2006). The treatment, which took place in a university training clinic in Aarhus, Denmark, was conducted in a group format, with both children and their families taking an active part, and included cognitive restructuring, gradual exposure, child management training, and skills training in areas such as assertiveness. Outcome was measured by change over time on standardized self-report measures, on diagnosis, and on an overall judgment based on all the data on a "Clinical Global Impression-Improvement of Anxiety Scale" ("CGI-I"). Four of the cases, the "responders," showed successful outcomes on standardized measures, while two, the "nonresponders," did not. This case study looks both qualitatively and quantitatively at the process and outcome of each child and family, exploring the differences between the responders and nonresponders.