A School-Based Cognitive Behavioral Progrm to Improve Adolescent Mental Health

Problem. While anxiety and depression are prevalent in the adolescent population and can have significant long-term consequences, treatment rates remain low. The gold standard for treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but this is often unavailable.

Methods. This project aimed to increase access to CBT through a school-based program. Students from a local homeschool cooperative participated in the Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE). Measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms were collected at baseline, after the program, and one month after the program. A Friedman test was used to evaluate medians’ differences on the screening tools at all three time points. Students also completed an adapted COPE program evaluation upon completion of the seven sessions.

Results. Median scores on anxiety and depression screening tools decreased but were not statistically significant. On the COPE program evaluation, students reported that the COPE program was helpful and learned new ways to deal with their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Conclusion. Implementing COPE in a school-based setting can improve adolescent mental health and is a feasible option to increase CBT access for students who otherwise may not have access.

A publication of this project can be found in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing.