Anxiety Coach for Children: A Tool to Increase Community and Educational Participation

This project develops a mobile device and/or web-based coaching tool that provides evidence-based therapeutic strategies for children with anxiety disorders with the goal to improve independence and participation in daily activities. Anxiety disorders are among the most common childhood mental health diagnoses with lifetime prevalence rates ranging from 15% to 20%. Additionally, anxiety disorders that develop in childhood generally follow an unchanging course leading to additional psychological concerns that interfere with social, emotional, and academic development. Coaching activities and strategies provide guidance, and empower and enable children and families to treat anxiety symptoms while utilizing popular and readily available devices. Using a mobile device or website makes the system available to children and caregivers when and where it is most useful. Potential applications include direct use of the tool by patients via their mental health care provider, integration of the tool into supervised wellness platforms, and independent use by families.