Take Action Practitioner Guidebook

In these challenging times, disturbing reports of high levels of anxiety in our young school children reinforce the need for a time- and cost-effective intervention. The Take Action program was developed and refined during extensive research to create a standardised and reliable treatment tool. It is a user-friendly, flexible, robust, CBT-based 8- or 10-session treatment designed for both group and individual use with children aged 4-12 years.

This easy-to-follow and comprehensive guidebook contains six treatment modules, an assessment module with useful information on a range of assessments for those practitioners wanting to use pre- or post intervention outcome measures, a background and theory section, and 124 child and parent handouts which may be photocopied. The treatment modules can be used sequentially across eight or ten weeks to provide an individual or group intervention or the modules can be used as stand-alone guides to teach specific skills.

Children can be provided with a professional and permanent record of therapy via the handouts and worksheets from the guide being purchased separately. Optional child and parent workbooks are also available.

The program teaches children helpful ways to cope with and manage anxiety. It is an evidence-based intervention combining recent research on threat-based cognitive biases and maladaptive thinking styles in childhood anxiety disorders with the well-established principles of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).

Designed for easy use by mental health and educational professionals trained in CBT, Take Action allows flexible delivery by practitioners to individuals and groups of children with anxiety. The word ACTION is a coping-oriented acronym used throughout the program. Children are encouraged to take action against their anxiety. This means children approach their fears and worries using strategies learnt during the program.

Dr. Allison Waters, BSS(Psych), BA(Hons), PhD(Clin), MAPS, MCCP Dr. Waters is Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology at Griffith University. She completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) at The Queensland University of Technology, a Bachelor of Arts and a PhD in Clinical Psychology at The University of Queensland, and a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Waters runs the Childhood Anxiety Disorders Research Program at Griffith University through which more than 450 children have been assessed and treated. She has published over 75 peer-reviewed book chapters and journal articles, and her research is funded by national grant funding organisations. She serves as an Associate Editor of national and international psychology journals, resides on the research advisory committees of local research institutes, and has received several awards in recognition of her research. Dr. Waters supervises the research projects and clinical work of postgraduate students in clinical psychology, and teaches at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels at Griffith University. She maintains a small private practice and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists and the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy.