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NREPP SAMHSA'S National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
IMPORTANT LEGACY NOTICE: Legacy Programs have not been reviewed by the current National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). The programs in this database were reviewed only under the previous National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs system. This section is intended to be used for historical reference only. If you would like more information about a program listed here, please contact the program developer directly. The program developer of each Legacy Program listed here agreed to post program information on this site.

Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP)

Brief Program Description

The Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP) is a supportive, small group preventive intervention designed to reduce the stress of family transitions and foster children's resilience and healthy adjustment to changes in family structure. The program helps children identify and express feelings, share experiences, form bonds with peers, enhance positive perceptions of self and family, and increase their capacity to cope with challenging changes associated with divorce. The program's five main goals are to:

The structured, sequential, 12- to 15-session intervention is co-led by mental health professionals. Four different CODIP curricula are tailored to the developmental needs and emotional reactions of children from kindergarten through 8th grade. Each curriculum has been field tested and carefully evaluated with children of different ages and sociodemographic backgrounds. The program's effectiveness has been demonstrated in six different controlled studies with children in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Teachers rated CODIP children as having better overall school adjustment, less anxiety, greater improvements in their ability to be appropriately assertive, follow rules, get along well with peers, and tolerate frustration than children in a control group. These improvements, and others, were still evident in a followup study 2 years later.

Program Development Support

The Children's Institute, the William T. Grant Foundation, the New York State Department of Education, Integrated Mental Health, and the Mental Health Association of Rochester, NY all supported the development of the Children of Divorce Intervention Program.

Contact Information

For indepth information on this program, please use the contact listed below.

Program Developer

JoAnne Pedro-Carroll, Ph.D.
The Childrens Institute
274 North Goodman
Suite D103
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone: (585) 295-1000 ext. 264
Fax: (585) 295-1090
Email: jpcarroll@childrensinstitute.net
Website: www.childrensinstitute.net

In December 2003, this program was designated as an Effective Program under SAMHSA's previous National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs system.