What is Facing Your Fears (FYF)? 

FYF is an evidence-based group cognitive behavior therapy program for managing anxiety in autistic youth ages 8-14.  The program can be delivered in person or via telehealth. The in-person clinic-based program is 14 weeks and 90 minutes for each session. Children and at least one parent or caregiver attend each session.

The telehealth version of FYF is slightly shorter in duration at approximately 75 minutes. Similar to other CBT programs for anxiety, FYF includes psychoeducation (identifying anxious situations, understanding the body’s reaction to anxiety, recognizing negative thoughts or self-statements, and creating a plan to manage strong emotions) and graded exposure (children are coached to face their fears a little at a time). Because FYF was specifically developed for autistic youth, program materials are crafted to make CBT content accessible to different learners. FYF is ideally delivered in small groups of 4-5 families, although FYF can be delivered individually. 

Who is FYF for?  

FYF is for children ages 8-14 with autism or similar social/communication differences, with anxiety that interferes in an ongoing way. Common fears/worries that are tackled in the program may include the following: difficulties separating from parents/caregivers; generalized worry about a variety of things (e.g., being late, making mistakes, worries about getting sick or having a caregiver get sick, or worries about changes in routine); worries/fears about social interactions with peers and/or adults; or fears about specific things such as dogs, bugs/bees, toilets flushing, loud noises, the dark, or thunder/lightning. 

Who can deliver FYF?  

Although FYF was originally intended to be delivered by mental health professionals, over the years we have expanded our reach to include degreed professionals across disciplines who have a strong background in working with autistic youth. A minimum of 2 facilitators are required for telehealth delivery and a minimum of 3 facilitators are required for in-person delivery; we recommend that at least one of the providers is a mental health professional. If it is not possible for a mental health provider to be part of the facilitator team, then it is strongly recommended that the facilitators consult with a mental health professional about the participants in the group, given the potential complexity of autism and co-occurring anxiety.

Getting Started (families): 

Families who live in Colorado: If you live in Colorado, you can contact Children’s Hospital Colorado at 720-777-6630 and indicate that you are interested in a FYF clinical group. Groups are currently offered via telehealth.

Families who live in other parts of the country or North America: Given the number of providers trained to deliver FYF in the US and Canada, it is likely that FYF is being delivered in a specialty clinic near you. Contact your local Children’s Hospital,  outpatient clinic that serves autistic youth, or other mental health facility for information about how to find out more about FYF or other CBT programs for autistic youth with anxiety.

Getting Started (providers):  

Mental health providers with a background in CBT for managing anxiety may be able to deliver FYF without formalized training (see Reaven et al. 2018).  For non-mental health providers, or for mental health providers with limited knowledge about using CBT for autistic youth with anxiety, attending a training is recommended.

Accessing FYF: 

The facilitator manual set (which comes with one student workbook and one parent workbook); or packet of student workbooks (4) and packet of parent workbooks (4) can be purchased through Brookes Publishing.