FIERCE
COMING SOON!
The FIERCE Project
Examining the Effectiveness and Implementation of an Anxiety Intervention for Youth with ADHD.
Kids Brain Health Network (KBHN) and Brain Canada, in partnership with other Canadian organizations, are investing nearly $6.5 million to advance solutions that improve the lives of children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities. One of the projects funded is The FIERCE Project!
Led by Dr. Carly McMorris, an Associate Professor at The University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education, the FIERCE Project will foster partnerships between youth with ADHD, their caregivers, clinicians, and researchers to evaluate the efficacy of a neuro-affirming cognitive-behaviour intervention for youth with ADHD and anxiety.
As many as 50% of youth with ADHD experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder, which can worsen current challenges and seriously affect everyday activities; yet very few anxiety interventions exist. First developed to meet the needs of Autistic youth who experience anxiety, Facing Your Fears (FYF) is a neuro-affirming group psychological intervention that involves basic cognitive behaviour content and approaches. Our team has adapted Facing Your Fears for youth with ADHD (FYF-ADHD) and implemented it within a hospital setting.
Preliminary findings show that it is effective in reducing anxiety in children and adolescents with ADHD and improving the overall quality of life in youth and their caregivers. To ensure accessibility, the FIERCE Project will implement FYF-ADHD in several community agencies across Calgary to evaluate effectiveness, identify implementation outcomes, and determine barriers/facilitators to sustainability. This will be the first study to determine the efficacy of an adapted CBT program for adolescents with ADHD, and by doing so, provide much-needed mental health support to youth with ADHD and co-occurring anxiety.
Want to read more about the FIERCE Program and all the Innovation and Implementation Program projects? Visit:
Thank you to all our funders and community partners! Stay posted for more updates and results.Our Community Partners
