Developing an International Mental Health Promotion Programme for Young Children

Several researchers have insisted upon the importance of training young children in order to prevent adaptation problems later in life. Yet most mental health promotion programmes are aimed at adolescents and older children, even though children of that age have already learned their basic patterns of coping and social behaviour. Zippy's Friends is a school-based programme for six and seven year olds. It has been developed specifically to help children, with different abilities and backgrounds, and in diverse countries and cultures, to expand their range of effective coping skills. Extensive evaluation has demonstrated the programme's effectiveness and it is now being expanded internationally.