Friends for Life Program

The Friends for Life program (FRIENDS) is the only anxiety prevention program acknowledged by the World Health Organisation for its ten years of comprehensive evaluation and practice. The program was developed in 1992 by Dr. Paula Barrett, Founder of Pathways Health and Research Centre, and has been used by schools and education officers around the world.

Anxiety is one of the most common forms of psychological disorder, affecting up to 20% of children and teenagers. If left unattended, anxiety significantly interferes with a child’s development and can cause serious problems in later life, such as social isolation, underachievement and depression. Particularly for young children, constant worry about relatively normal, everyday activities, such as a school camp, playing with friends or completing homework, as well as worry about overseas events such as SARS, earthquakes and terrorism can significantly detract from a child's learning. These effects can also extend to a child's peers or siblings, multiplying the negative effects of anxiety. The FRIENDS program is designed to reach out to these children who do not always attract the help that they need. FRIENDS teaches emotional resilience that will stay with children for life, and teaches practical, useful strategies for coping with stress. Worldwide, FRIENDS has been tested in New Zealand, Canada, the United States, South Africa and Europe. It is also in the process of being translated into Russian, Chinese and Arabic. By the end of 2006, well over 600,000 children around the globe will have completed the FRIENDS program.

FRIENDS is available for both primary and high school students.