NIH R01 Friend to Friend With Coaching

This study takes a proven effective program (Friend to Friend) that was initially run by the research team in a clinical trial and examines for the first time its effectiveness when conducted by teachers and counselors with active coaching from the research team. The primary target population for this study will be 4th-5th grade relationally aggressive girls. In intervention schools, these girls will participate in Friend to Friend with Coaching (14 small group sessions, 8 classroom sessions and additional pre- and post- program questionnaires). In both intervention and control schools all 4th-5th grade students (boys and girls) will participate in a screening measure to identify the relational aggressors and pre- and post-program questionnaires. Counselors and 4th-5th grade teachers in both conditions will participate in pre/post questionnaires and will also participate in training, coaching, the small group intervention and classroom sessions in intervention schools. These procedures will be repeated with new students in 5 of the F2F with Coaching schools the following school year, except that the research team will provide minimal coaching to staff running the intervention in year 2.