Our International Partners
Brazil
The FRIENDS For Life and FUN FRIENDS Programs are currently being translated and training is being delivered in Brazil.
For more information please contact Marco Callegaro at marco.ictc@gmail.com or on +55 (48) 3224 5680.
In Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo: Projecto Centro Cultural e de Formação.
Contact exclusive partner in Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo, and non-exclusive to Brazil, educational director: Circe Salcides Petersen – Ph: +55 (51) 33304000 Fax: +55 (51) 30191120 or e-mail: circe@terra.com.br or visit www.amigosparaavida.com.br
Exclusive partners in Rio de Janeiro and Distrito Federal, and non-exclusive to Brazil, CBT Psychologists Márcia Votre and Priscila Tenenbaum +55 (21) 2274-5971 – www.adaptadamente.com.br – or marcia@adaptadamente.com.br / priscila@adaptadamente.com.br
Exclusive partner in Pernambuco, Bahia and Ceará Beneria: beneria@beneriadonato.com.br
Canada
In Alberta: FRIENDS for Life and Fun Friends are currently being piloted in select schools across Alberta, Canada. Entering its 3rd year, this pilot is being coordinated by the mental health screening and early identification program in the newly formed provincial health organization – Alberta Health Services (AHS). This pilot supports the Children’s Mental Health Plan for Alberta: Three Year Action Plan 2008-2011 by offering a universal preventative approach to “address the needs of children and youth at risk.”
Funding for the pilot project is provided by an Alberta Health and Wellness community treatment orders / special mental health initiatives grant. By the end of the 2010/11 school year, it is anticipated that the program will be delivered in approximately 38 schools in 25 communities across the province to over 4600 students.
For further information regarding the Alberta pilot project, please contact Christine Riddell at christine.riddell@albertahealthservices.ca
In British Columbia: The FRIENDS program is centrally coordinated and funded by a government Ministry – The Ministry of Children and Family Development. In support of The Child and Youth Mental Health Plan for BC (2003-2008), a 5-year government funded provincial plan designed with the goal of improving the mental health outcomes of children, youth and families in our province, the FRIENDS For Life program was launched in 2004 as a key prevention and risk reduction initiative of the Plan.
Since this time, over 3000 BC educators have received the 1-day FRIENDS training and are equipped to deliver FRIENDS in the classroom. In 2005, a partnership with the FORCE Society for Kids Mental Health (a non-profit parent advocacy organization) was formed, to educate parents and caregivers about child anxiety and about the FRIENDS program so they are equipped to reinforce the FRIENDS skills that are taught in the classroom, at home.
For more information about FRIENDS in BC, visit www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/mental_health/friends.htm
In Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut: FUN FRIENDS, FRIENDS for Life for Children and FRIENDS for Life for Youth trainings are provided through Austin Resilience Development Inc. Trainings and FRIENDS program materials are available in both English and French. FRIENDS trainings are offered to educational, community and health professionals working with children and youth through regional trainings offered in selected cities and provinces as well as through in-service trainings held at school boards and community mental health agencies.
For more information about FRIENDS program trainings, please contact Catherine Austin, director of Austin Resilience Development, at 613-692-3764 or go to the website at www.friendsrt.com
Finland
In Finland, the FRIENDS program is implemented by non-governmental organization called Children of the Station (Aseman Lapset ry). FRIENDS For Life for Children has been in use from the year 2006 and FRIENDS For Life for Youth from 2008. Children of the Station trains mainly school teachers and other school staff to run the programs in schools.
By August 2010 about 1200 people have participated in their trainings. And altogether 13,500 Finnish pupils have participated in FRIENDS program. Children of the Station have translated program materials into Finnish and FRIENDS for Life for Children workbook is available also in Swedish. They run trainings in Finnish or Swedish.
For more information (in Finnish and Swedish) visit www.asemanlapset.fi/articles/311/ or contact friends@asemanlapset.fi
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, Etal Limited currently runs the following programs at various locations throughout Hong Kong: Fun FRIENDS, FRIENDS for Life and My Youth. In addition, they run in-service training at Schools and Professional Training Programs for Health Professionals wanting to become certified in facilitating the FRIENDS Program. In 2011, Etal Ltd are looking to expand into China.
For more information visit www.friendsprogram.com.hk or www.etal.asia, email Etal Limited at friends@etal.asia or phone +852 3552 3012
Japan
For more information on Pathways Programs delivery and training in Japan, visit www.pathways.jp
Mexico
For information on the FUN FRIENDS and FRIENDS for Life Programs run in Mexico, visit www.amistadparasiempre.com or contact Julia Gallegos, Ph.D at juliagallegos@amistadparasiempre.com or on (52) 81 15229908 (locally) or 01 800 500 3060 (nationally)
Portugal
FRIENDS for Life was translated by a team of Psychology Faculty of Lisbon University. This team will perform a randomised clinical trial in a sample of Portuguese children from grade 3 to grade 6. High-anxious children were selected through a two step screening procedure from a sample of 880.
Only children that scored in the top-15% on the SCARED-R were selected. Program evaluation outcomes include: presence or absence of a diagnosis of anxiety disorder (ADIS-P) and anxiety symptom scores (SCARED-R, child and parent versions).
For more information please contact: aipereira@fp.ul.pt
The Netherlands
FRIENDS for Life (Children and Youth) have been used and investigated now for over a decade in the Netherlands and also in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. These Dutch FRIENDS versions have been translated, published and distributed by the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre-Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This department performed, in collaboration with the department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of Leiden University Medical Centre, a large randomised clinical trial in a sample of children with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders.
Results showed no significant differences in outcomes between individual and group treatment: children improved in both conditions. Up till now this multicenter research project has resulted in two PhD theses, high ranking articles, with new manuscripts to come. At the moment new research is performed into the implementation of FRIENDS in schools in the Netherlands.
Recent developments: The Dutch FUN FRIENDS translation is ready and in preparation to be published.
For more information: visit www.vriendenprogramma.nl or phone: +31 10 7036191
New Zealand
Lifepaths Charitable Trust and it’s partners promote and deliver FUN FRIENDS, FRIENDS FOR LIFE and FOCUS program training throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. Programs are delivered to young people in schools and centres around the country. Next Friends for Life Training Days: Arrowtown 21st October, Wellington 29th October.
For more information visit www.lifepaths.org.nz, email info@lifepaths.org.nz or phone +64(0)22 6543 812.
South Africa
Coming soon…
Sweden
For information of the FRIENDS programs and training to run FRIENDS in schools, contact Johan Åhlén at: ahlenjohan@gmail.com or on +46 768 86 54 46
United Kingdom / Scotland
Interactive Connections
For bespoke FRIENDS training in England, Wales, Ireland and English speaking Services in Europe, delivered to a whole Service in your own venue, please visit www.interactive-connections.co.uk or contact Dr Caroline Smith at crsmith@interactive-connections.co.uk or phone +44 (0) 1636 636060. Please note: Caroline does not set up ‘buy a place’ training days preferring effective delivery to teams in their work locality.
Interactive Connections Ltd is the UK and Ireland distributor for FRIENDS and Fun Friends books. Full pricing information is available and downloadable from the web site www.interactive-connections.co.uk. For further information please contact Simon Wyatt at friends@interactive-connections.co.uk or phone +44 (0) 1636 636060.
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle Upon Tyne is pleased to be able to offer bespoke training on the 3 main elements of the FRIENDS Programme. Trainers are hosted by Newcastle City Council and over the next three years will be rolling the programme out across our city’s schools and beyond. Three training days are being delivered in November 2010 with more planned in the months following.
