The FRIENDS Materials

The Focus
The FRIENDS programme is a well-researched innovative programme with a very firm theoretical base. Dually based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Positive Psychology it focuses on teaching children and young people specific skills for problem solving in the social and emotional world. With its background in preventative mental health it has been developed as an early intervention in the areas of anxiety and depression. However its effectiveness has overarched this beginning and now it is as commonly used as a tool to develop emotional resilience, enabling children and young people to develop feelings of emotional well-being and flourish as they travel through childhood, adolescence and into adult life. The research background outlines the programmes effectiveness with clinical groups of young people and those children attending the full range of schools.

The teachers and learners
The programme has 3 age-sensitive versions with materials aimed for use with 4-7 year olds, 7-13 year olds and 13-17 year olds. There is also a version focusing on the needs of adults, which is currently under validation.
Parents and those who commonly work closely with children and young people such as teachers, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, school counsellors, teaching assistants can use the materials. The professionals who attend the single day facilitator’s training learn about the rationale, content and important delivery style, essential to the success of FRIENDS in the classroom or clinic. This trained professional is expected to take the lead when using the materials with children and young people but can of course co-work with, and support others working alongside them and support parental involvement in the programme.

The Books
Every professional working on the programme needs a Facilitator’s Manual, which provides careful structure and content to every taught session. Every child taking part in the programme needs their own special Workbook/Activity Book. Wherever possible the programme draws on peer learning. This delivery style is essential for the programme’s implementation and is the approach that has secured research accolades.

The Fun FRIENDS materials, used with 4-7 year olds, remain the same as those currently in circulation, but there is an additional book option i.e. My Little Fun FRIENDS Book, a reduced version of the Parents/Family Workbook. This Workbook has been developed particularly in the UK with our classroom practice in mind. It has all the drawings currently held in the Parents Workbook accompanied by a very simple text to ensure the children and parents with lower literacy levels can use the materials. It is anticipated that this new addition will be used in classrooms where Teaching Assistants (TAs) commonly support the learning of children working together in groups. It is a great addition and we are pleased with it. Schools still need to buy copies of the Parents Book for those able parents who wish to support the programme at home. The original Parents Book also provides the essential delivery details for a wide range of activities, which the TAs and teachers will use in class. Teachers setting up Fun Friends in their classroom will need a starter pack of a Manual, a Parents Workbook and a set of My Little Fun Friends Books (one for each child taking part in the programme).

The FRIENDS materials focusing on 7-13 year olds and 13-17 year olds have, over the years, had a number of updates and we are now on Edition 5. The materials consolidate the FRIENDS core teaching elements and include new areas of focus in line with current research into emotional resilience and combating anxiety in childhood.
The skills summarised by the FRIENDS acronym remain the core of the programme. Young people are taught about:
· Feelings, their own and others
· Relaxation, why it’s important and ways of relaxing
· Inner world, the impact of thinking on feelings and behaviour
· Exploring solutions, using a range of specific problem solving approaches
· Nurturing themselves and others by self-talk, praise and reward
· Don’t forget to practise
· Smiling, the power of the smile to maintain and promote feelings of well-being

Edition 5 places additional emphasis on:
· a healthy lifestyle: diet, exercise, rest and relaxation
· the development of empathy for all living creatures
· attention control i.e. that what we attend to in social and emotional situations impacts strongly on our thoughts and feelings and that we have a choice to make about where we place our attention

Edition 5 was introduced in September 2011. If you have any queries please do phone or email Interactive Connections Ltd on:

Tel: +44 (0)1636 636060

Email: friends@interactive-connections.co.uk