Is your child excessively afraid of certain things such as dogs, the dark, costume characters, or spiders? Do they get very upset, cry, or cling to you when they are confronted with their fear? Does your child avoid going to certain places because of this fear? If so, your child may be experiencing a specific phobia.
A research team at Griffith University is offering a free assessment and treatment program for children ages 3 to 5 years with a specific phobia. The program, Pre-schoolers Overcoming Phobias (POP!) is part of a nationally funded treatment study of young children with specific phobias. The study is being run by a team of international experts in child anxiety, led by Associate Professor Lara Farrell.
About the program
After an initial assessment, eligible children will take part in the Preschoolers Overcoming Phobias (POP) Treatment Program. The world-first study is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) aiming to learn more about the course of childhood fears in young children, and involves testing a novel, brief intervention for childhood phobias, which has proven effective in older children and with adults. This program, held at the Griffith University Gold Coast Campus, aims to reduce levels of anxiety and phobia symptoms in children.
For further information call (07) 5678 8317 or email [email protected]
GU Human Research Ethics Ref No: 2018/145
