The FRIENDS Programs are a series of Resilience programs developed by Professor Paula Barrett. The programs aim to increase social and emotional skills, promote resilience, and preventing anxiety and depression across the lifespan. As a prevention protocol, FRIENDS has been noted as “one of the most robustly-supported programmes for internalising disorders,” with “a number of large-scale type 1 randomised control trials worldwide” demonstrating it’s effectiveness ( ). The FRIENDS programs are acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as effective evidence based prevention programs.
Contents
- History
- Format
- Specific Goals
- Content
- Use in prevention
- Translations and International Use
- Author
- References
The FRIENDS programs incorporate physiological, cognitive and behavioural strategies to assist children, youths and adults in coping with stress and worry. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of FRIENDS in addressing mental health issues such as OCD, anxiety, depression, autism and stress in children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Furthermore, studies have also shown that protective factors such as self-esteem, self-concept, coping skills, hope and social support are enhanced in the program. The FRIENDS protocol was designed to be delivered in both clinical and educational settings by teachers, psychologists, and allied health professionals. The FRIENDS Programs continue to be researched and developed by author, Professor Paula Barrett, in Queensland, Australia, as well as a host of researchers worldwide including Professor Paul Stallard, Professor Elisabeth Utens, and Professor Bente Storm Haugland amongst others.
History
The FRIENDS Programs were developed by Professor Paula Barrett. Based in cognitive behavioral techniques, the gold standard for treating and preventing anxiety and depression, the protocol was originally developed for the early intervention and prevention of anxiety. Unlike other anxiety protocols at the time, such as Phillip C. Kendall's Coping Cat, FRIENDS utilises a group format and can be used in a prevention, early intervention or a treatment approach.
In 1999 another round of research was performed which led to the production of a third edition of FRIENDS for Children, which incorporated the research feedback to tailor the program to being more teacher-friendly. Further research and development from 2000 onward caused iterative improvements toward the FRIENDS Programs to make them what they are today.
In response to the devastating Queensland Floods of 2010/2011, Professor Paula Barrett developed the Adult Resilience for Life Program. This Program was designed to help adults cope with loss and extreme stress that was prevalent after natural disasters. The Adult Resilience Program was also rolled out to victims of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake in order to help that population cope with the loss of property and loved ones.
The Adult Resilience for Life Program was further developed into the Adult Resilience Strong Not Tough Program in 2012. This Program is run in a two-day format and teaches coping strategies and relaxation techniques to adults and the elderly.
Format
The FRIENDS protocol has been adapted into four developmentally-sensitive programs:
The programs are typically delivered over 10 session with two booster sessions, typically 60–75 minutes. Delivery is, however, flexible across different settings as long as the sequence, structure and topics are respected. Two information sessions of approximately 90–120 minutes are conducted with caregivers and educators to provide strategies for enhancing resilience at home, reinforcing program strategies, and behaviour management techniques.
Specific Goals
Content
The FRIENDS programs draw from interventions based in cognitive behavioural, acceptance and commitment, and positive psychology approaches. Skills covered in the younger programs are represented in the letters of the acronym FRIENDS, whilst the adult program utilises the acronym LIFE. All of the FRIENDS programs overlap in content; however, they differ in the method of delivering skills with each program using developmentally-appropriate activities. Specifically, whilst younger programs such as Fun FRIENDS and FRIENDS for Life encourage more play-based techniques including puppets, storybooks and coloring activities, the My FRIENDS Youth and Adult Resilience programs utilize role plays, group discussions and written activities.
Overall the content is as follows:
Use in prevention
Studies of FRIENDS effectiveness in prevention of anxiety for 9-10 year old children have been mixed in results.
Translations and International Use
The FRIENDS program is currently used in the following countries: Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Singapore.
Although originally written in English, the FRIENDS program has since been translated into Russian, Arabic, Finnish, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and Spanish.
Author
The Friends program was authored by Professor Paula Barrett who continues to develop and administer the FRIENDS Programs both at her private practice Pathways Health and Research Centre in Brisbane, Australia as well as worldwide. Professor Paula Barrett also continues to oversee the training of FRIENDS facilitators and licensees worldwide.