Developing Resilience and Anxiety Management Through the Arts

Inclusion Criteria:

* Between 8 and 17 years of age
* Individuals must have parental/guardian consent
* Elevated levels of anxiety or depression based on

  1. Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) score of 15 or higher, or;
  2. Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) Depression T score of 65 or higher, or;
  3. Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) clinician severity rating of 3 on any anxiety disorder or on a mood-related disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with Conduct Disorder or with behavioral symptoms that would make it difficult for the child/adolescent to participate in the group or comply with directions given by the group leader (such as difficulty following instructions, difficulty staying in one's seat, defiance of adults, harming animals or people, threatening others, getting into physical fights, hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulty waiting for one's turn, etc.)
* Autism or developmental delays
* Psychotic symptoms or active suicidality
* Active Eating Disorders that raise concerns about morbidity and therefore need to be addressed in an intervention and actively monitored
* Unsteady dosage or recently or impending changes to psychotropic medication(s)
* Non-English-speaking individuals
* Wards of the State