Children dealing with anxiety often find themselves overwhelmed with worry or stress – even in familiar situations. They may also suffer from panic attacks, low self-esteem, or confidence issues that prevent them from enjoying their everyday lives.
If you’re caring for a child who has anxiety-related issues, early intervention with Kids First can prevent their anxiety from worsening, helping them lead a happier, less stressful life.
Our Cool Kids groups provide an evidence-based 10-week program for kids in Years 3 through 6 that offers proven anxiety-prevention and resilience support strategies to children and their families.
The Cool Kids Anxiety program was developed by the world-renowned Centre for Emotional Health at Sydney’s Macquarie University and offers children practical, long-lasting strategies to overcome their anxiety in an empowering group setting.
Kids First’s Cool Kids groups provide families with the guidance they need to support their child at school, at home, and throughout their lives.
Each week, your child will learn how to overcome roadblocks that prevent them from living their life to the full and how to control their anxiety, rather than anxiety controlling them.
Each group is limited to 6 children, separated age-appropriately, to ensure every child gets focused, one-on-one support.
Cool Kids is a structured 10 session program run over a minimum of 10 weeks that teaches children and their parents how to better manage a child’s anxiety.
The program is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), involves the participation of children and parents, and focuses on teaching practical skills.
Topics covered in the program include:
Every anxious child has different needs. That’s why we take you through our 4-step process to help
you decide what support your child needs to manage their anxiety.
If you’re interested in COOL KIDS for your child, you’ll first attend a consultation with one of our Child and Family Clinicians to ensure COOL KIDS is the right clinical option for your child.
You’ll be given a chance to share your child’s struggles in a confidential setting to show us the ‘big picture’ of how your child is getting on at home and in school.
We’ll learn more about how anxiety is affecting your child and the impact it’s having on their happiness, friendships, learning, and participation in fun activities.
Our psychologists will help you make an informed decision for your child, whether that’s COOL KIDS or an alternative treatment we recommend.
Our Cool Kids Anxiety Program groups take place in a kid-friendly environment at the Kids First centre based in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We offer groups for children in Years 3 to 6 which run for 10 weeks every term. Since there’s a capacity of 6 children in each group, we strongly advise booking early.
Our Cool Kids groups are led by our psychologists who have extensive backgrounds in children’s health, development, and education.
Children with a NDIS plan may use their NDIS funding for this program; however, please note that our Cool Kids program does not cater specifically to children with disabilities. Our SOCIAL SKILLS group for kids with unique needs may be a more appropriate clinical option for your child.
Find out more about Kids First’s Social Skills Groups for children aged 5 to 12 here.