Summary
Through a series of brief, easy-to-follow sessions, complete with skills-building activities, the evidence-based COPE Programs convey 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 how we think about them and our our responses to them. The COPE Programs teach children, teens, young adults and adults how to recognize and stop automatic negative or unhelpful thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts. The result is feeling emotionally better and behaving in healthier ways.
Strategies supporting educational equity (CASEL)
Not available at this time.
Implementation
Below are key implementation details for this program. These specifications help determine if the program is a good fit for your school or organization.
Grade(s)
Elementary (K-5), Middle (6-8), High School (9-12)
Setting
Classroom, Clinical
Language
English
Cost
Contact provider
# Lessons
7-11
Program Design
Tier 1 (Universal)
Technology Requirements
None required
Staffing Requirements
Training required for instructors
Professional Development
Virtual
Outcomes
Decreased substance use
Improved attitude/behavior related to substance use
Advocate for reducing stigma associated with emotional and mental and behavioral health
Compare & contrast emotional, mental-behavioral illness, mental well-being and concurrent disorders
Decreased suicidal behavior
Describe how self-harm or suicide impacts other people
Describe laws related to minors accessing mental health care
Explain how to help someone who is thinking about attempting suicide
Identify school and community resources that can help a person with emotional, mental and behavioral health concerns
Improved Academic Performance
Improved attitude/behavior related to suicide
Improved identification of individuals at-risk for suicide
Improved Identity Development/ Agency
Improved Prosocial Behavior
Improved School Climate
Improved School Connectedness
Improved SEL Skills and Attitudes
Improved Teaching Practices
Increased help-seeking behavior
Reduced Emotional Distress
Reduced Problem Behavior
Mental Health Literacy Components
This program addresses the following mental health literacy components:
Understanding stigma and strategies for stigma reduction
Understanding how to foster & maintain positive mental health
Understanding how to seek help effectively
Understanding common mental health disorders, signs and symptoms, and treatments
Evidence of Effectiveness
COPE has been evaluated by a cluster randomized trial. 779 culturally diverse adolescents from 11 high schools across 2 school districts in the US Southwest received the intervention weekly for 15 weeks. Participants had improved physical health outcomes as well as decreases in depressive symptoms and alcohol use (Melnyk et al., 2015; Melnyk et al., 2013). Youth also demonstrated increases in academic competence and prosocial skills (e.g., cooperation and assertation; Melnyk et al., 2013).
Published Studies
Melnyk, B. M., Jacobson, D., Kelly, S. A., Belyea, M. J., Shaibi, G. Q., Small, L., O'Haver, J. A., & Marsiglia, F. F. (2015). Twelve-month effects of the COPE healthy lifestyles teen program on overweight and depressive symptoms in high school adolescents. Journal of School Health, 85(12), 861-870. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12342
Melnyk, B. M., Jacobson, D., Kelly, S., Belyea, M., Shaibi, G., Small, L., O'Haver, J., & Marsiglia, F. F. (2013). Promoting healthy lifestyles in high school adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 45(4), 407-415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.05.013