COPE program has a new provider

Joshua Walker will lead the next seven-week course

The COPE program has openings in its seven-week course with a new Child Life Specialist.

COPE – Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment ­– has been going strong for nearly four years with outstanding results through the Pediatric Clinic of Sweetwater Memorial.

Joshua Walker, the clinic’s Child Life Specialist, is excited to lead the program.

“I focus on supporting children and families in the healthcare setting by running the cognitive behavioral therapy skills building intervention program called COPE,” Walker said. “Our providers identify kids who are dealing with anxiety and depression and I am able to quickly start them on a course to gain some insight and skills that can help them thrive.

“I participated in some sessions during the COVID pandemic and saw real changes in my kids and their peers,” he said. “When implemented, the methods are really effective and that’s hopeful to a person who is struggling.”

Walker has completed the COPE training and has helped facilitate COPE in the elementary school setting. Since moving to Sweetwater County about five years ago, he has been working with children with disabilities in the public-school setting. Prior to that, he worked in the oilfields in Wyoming and Alaska.

Tammy Walker, CPNP-PC, with the Pediatric Clinic, launched the program in May 2020.

COPE is a seven-week cognitive behavioral therapy program designed to build resiliency skills in children and teenagers. Openings are available in the program aimed at helping children, teens and young adults cope with stress and anxiety. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based program is aimed at helping anyone from age 8 to 21 who is struggling with anxiety and depression.

COMMON SYMPTOMS:

Depression: Irritability, sadness, sleeping too much or too little, gaining or losing weight, feeling guilty or hopeless, having trouble concentrating or making decisions, thinking a lot about death or suicide.

Anxiety: Anger, irritability, nervousness, trouble separating from family, sleep disturbance, obsessive thoughts, somatic symptoms such as regular headaches or stomachaches.

CONSIDER THIS:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based programs are the gold standard for mild to moderately anxious and depressed kids and teens.

• 1 in 4 children, teens and young adults have diagnosable and treatable mental health conditions.
• Less than 25% of this population gets the treatment they need.
• Depression is a significant risk factor for suicide.
• Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24.

To find out more about the program or to make an appointment, call 307-212-7717.