Child Anxiety Rural Outreach Program
NOTE: There are very limited places still available in the program. These places are likely to be filled by the end of August. If you are interested in the CAROP program, please contact us now or you may miss out on a place.
Child Anxiety Rural Outreach Program
This program is for primary school children 8 years and older who live outside of the larger cities. The program is tailored for families seeking treatment for child anxiety and involves phone sessions with a psychologist. It allows children who live in rural and regional Australia to access our assessment and treatment services without needing to travel from home.
Can my child be involved in the Child Anxiety Rural Outreach Program?
- The program is for children aged 8 and older and attending primary school (or equivalent home school grade).
- Your family needs to live outside of the larger cities of Australia. To see if you live in an eligible area, click here.
- A parent or guardian needs to be involved in implementing the program at home, and able to commit several hours a week to the program.
What does the program involve?
- The first stage involves a thorough assessment. You and your child will first be asked to fill out some questionnaires about your child’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours. You will then be contacted by one of our psychologists for a thorough assessment interview. At the end of this assessment you will be provided with recommendations on the suitability of our program. If we do not believe it is suitable for your child, we will refer you to other services that may be able to help.
- The second stage is a 12 week treatment program that parents and children complete at home while having regular telephone sessions with a psychologist.
- The final stage involves two progress assessments, one at the end of treatment and the other six months after that. You will be asked to complete the questionnaires and telephone interview again. This is to see if your child’s anxiety has decreased, increased, or not changed following treatment.
What does treatment involve?
- The aim of treatment is to teach each child how to effectively manage anxiety and to help them to face situations that they fear. The treatment program is based on cognitive behavioural theory. This means that we teach specific strategies and skills for managing anxiety. Skills include education on anxiety and what causes it, how to think realistically, structured problem solving, ways to parent an anxious child, improving social skills, relaxation and most importantly facing fears through gradual exposure to anxiety provoking situations. Each skill is tailored to a child’s particular fears and worries during the telephone sessions.
- Families receive a parent book that explains all of the above skills and a child workbook that has activities to help teach each skill to their child. The books are designed to be completed at home over a 12 week period. Parents will need to work with their child on the child workbook, children will not be able to complete their activities alone.
- Parents are responsible for implementing the program with their child. Therapists will play a supportive role assisting parents to apply the anxiety management skills to their child’s particular fears and worries and by discussing with parents problems that are faced in implementing the skills.
What is the cost?
The assessment and treatment service is being provided free of charge. In return you will be asked to help us with our research by completing the progress assessments, and invited to assist with other research projects that are investigating the causes and consequences of child anxiety.
How do we get involved?
Please have a look at our program website (http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/carop), then call us directly on (02) 9850 9706, or email on carop@psy.mq.edu.au.
