This workbook guides students ages 8–14 through the Facing Your Fears program, a highly effective cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program designed to help students with autism or other social/learning needs face and manage anxiety. Throughout Sessions 1–12, students will participate in a variety of activities illustrated throughout this workbook. While the workbook is available as a fillable PDF with the purchase of the Facing Your Fears manual, this printed version provides a convenient alternate option for programs that don’t have the ability or desire to print the student workbook.
About Facing Your Fears
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 CBT program designed for use with students ages 8–14.
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 before or after school or within the school day; 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 psychologist or counselor, special education teacher, or other school provider. 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.
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.
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
