The anxiety it is a universally known experience with a warning character. It prepares the person for an upcoming danger, real or imagined. It is constructive at low and moderate levels, but at high levels it can be destructive. It is an emotion experienced by all ages and can cause dysfunction in people's daily lives. Thus, preventing it from childhood can become lucrative in later life.

This research aims to investigate the effect of participation in mental resilience program "Super Skills for Life" (Essau & Ollendick, 2013) in the anxiety symptoms experienced by the children of the Primary school classes in Eastern Thessaloniki. This program is based on both the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy and behavioral activation. It also includes social skills training, cognitive reappraisal, and the use of videotaped feedback.

The sample of the research consists of 10 children (6 girls, 4 boys). Their age is 6-12 years old and they attend the Primary school of a village in Eastern Thessaloniki. The research children were divided into 2 groups of 5 people based on their age during the program sessions. 

A qualitative analysis of the data was performed and the children were studied as 10 separate case studies. Information was also collected from the mothers of the participants and a diary was kept of the events of the sessions. The researcher had the role of animator and observer. 

The foundings showed the positive effect of the SSL program on children's anxiety symptoms. Feedback from the tapings led to a reduction in anxiety symptoms at the next taping, with children's self-awareness of this improvement. Participation in the program led to improved working memory scores, which was attributed to a reduction in anxiety. From the diary it seems that the children had fun in the SSL program and used some of the things they learned from it in their lives. In addition, the mothers of the child participants were satisfied with the quality of the program and the results they observed for their children. 

This particular study emphasizes the imperative need for a mental resilience program within the framework of the elementary school curriculum. The positive effects of participating in this program are of the utmost importance for the mental health of children and, by extension, future adults!

Thesis of the Master's Program
'Special Education and Training',
University of Nicosia, School of Educational Sciences and University of Patras, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences