Bernadette Melnyk

COPE2Thrive program is an evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills-building approach that includes reducing negative thoughts, increasing healthy behaviors, and improving communications and problem-solving skills. Both manual and online evidence-based programs are available for ages 7 - 24 years of age. - Manual-based, instructor-delivered 7- and 15-session programs include online instructor training. - Online, self-delivered programs are available to teens 13 - 18 years of age. Background: When a person learns to COPE in positive ways, the brain lays down new pathways, helping him or her grow new neuronal connections and deal with stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms in healthy ways. By helping individuals change their thoughts from negative to positive, their feelings and behaviors naturally follow suit. It's clear that timely, evidence-based prevention and treatment for depressed and anxious children and teens is an absolute must. That is why the COPE Program was created. COPE understands young people's needs and offers access to education and skills-building to help prevent and manage negative emotions while enhancing healthy behaviors. Through a series of brief, easy-to-follow sessions, complete with skills-building activities, the COPE Program conveys that there is hope for change, and that both depression and anxiety are treatable. COPE recognizes that we can't control trigger events, but we can control our responses to them. For less than the cost of just one session with a therapist, the COPE Program teaches children and teens how to recognize and stop automatic negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts instead. The result is feeling emotionally better and behaving in healthy ways. By convincing children and teens that they can accomplish whatever it is that is important to them, and reinforcing that what their mind believes they can achieve, COPE helps them face their fears and take control of their emotions.