Benefits:

Therapeutic:

Children with anxiety disorders suffer from worries that can be debilitating and severely disrupt all aspects of their lives. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an approach that is empirically-supported for several different disorders, and it has been shown to be especially effective in treating anxiety disorders (Weisz et al., 1995; Ollendick and King, 2000).

Economic:

The workbook is extremely cost-effective, costing only around $10 to reproduce, whereas a full 8-12 week cognitive-behavioral therapy program with a professional psychologist costs approximately $3,000.

Access:

There is no need for the child and “coach” therapeutic team to travel anywhere outside of their normal, daily environments, therefore the manual could be implemented in any location.

Stigma:

Some people do not like the idea of visiting a therapist due to the personal and social stigma associated with having psychological disorders. The anxiety workbook provides a discreet and painless access to an empirically supported therapy program.

Format:

The “Cool Kids Program” workbook is a format familiar to children and suggests an informal learning environment that most likely facilitates a child’s willingness to begin and continue the therapy program