The intervention has its roots in the Coping Cat developed by Kendall and colleagues which is a CBT-based individual treatment for childhood anxiety and depression (Read, Wei, Benjamin, Mychailyszyn, & Kendall, 2013). It was Dr. Paula Barrett, however, who first introduced a group format for the treatment of childhood anxiety and depression and sought to include parents in the treatment process. Initial clinical controlled trials for children diagnosed with anxiety that involved their families started in 1998 and showed promising results for decreasing childhood anxiety and depression (Barrett, 1998; Shortt, Barrett, & Fox, 2001).
The next step in increasing access to the intervention was to deliver it in school environments. Initial studies
The next step in increasing access to the intervention was to deliver it in school environments. Initial studies