Coping Power

Abstract

This facilitator guide is designed to be used by clinicians who are running a children’s group for the Coping Power Program. Coping Power is a proven intervention aimed at teaching children with aggressive behavior problems how to recognize their feelings and display them appropriately without resorting to angry or violent behaviors. Topics include the importance of setting and achieving goals, using problem-solving methods to resolve conflicts, and using self-statements, relaxation, and distraction techniques to cope with anger arousal. This second edition of the implementation guide adds chapters on how to adapt the program for use with clients in individual therapy and how to provide a briefer version of the program, Concise Coping Power. New chapters also provide more detailed guidance in implementing the program, including a focus on how to implement deviancy reduction training in groups and how to recognize child characteristics and intervention process characteristics which can affect the strength of the program’s outcomes.