Development of a Brief Group CBT Intervention to Reduce COVID-19 Related Distress Among School-Age Youth. Issue 4 (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rodriguez-Quintana, Natalie; Meyer, Allison E.; Bilek, Emily; Flumenbaum, Rochelle; Miner, Kristen; Scoville, Lynne; Warner, Kelly; Koschmann, Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Cognitive and behavioral practice. Volume 28:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: 642
• Page End: 652
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- youth mental health -- CBT -- implementation; Behavior therapy -- Periodicals; Cognitive therapy -- Periodicals; Behavior Therapy -- Periodicals; Cognitive Therapy -- Periodicals; 616.8914205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpra.2021.03.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1077-7229

Abstract

Highlights: School professionals need support to address the mental health needs of youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper describes the development of a skills-based group intervention named Coping with COVID-19 (CC-19). CC-19 seems acceptable by school professionals and has reached hundreds of students. Abstract: School-aged youth have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the pandemic will likely have long-standing effects on the well-being of youth, and access to mental health care is even more critical during this time. For the past 5 years, TRAILS ( Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) has been working throughout the state to increase utilization of evidence-based mental health practices among K-12 school mental health professionals (SMHPs). By leveraging SMHPs who are widely accessible to students, TRAILS seeks to improve youth access to effective mental health care and reduce current mental health inequities. In March 2020, TRAILS responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing a group manual designed to be delivered virtually by SMHPs to help students develop effective coping skills to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. TRAILS focuses on promoting use of CBT and mindfulness, as these skills are ideally suited for school-based delivery, and thus the new manual, Coping with COVID-19 (CC-19), was grounded in these modalities. This article will describe the design, development, and deployment of the CC-19 program to address the mental health needs of students in the context of the pandemic. Early acceptability and penetration data will also be discussed.