PANDA is an acronym for Positive Alternatives to Negative and Destructive Attitudes.  It is a psychosocial treatment program for children diagnosed with bipolar and other mood disorders.  Research shows that these disorders have potentially broad consequences in social development and educational attainment.  Developmentally, these children may be behind in reaching some of the cognitive, emotional and social milestones. Children diagnosed with bipolar and mood disorders must learn to manage persistent depression and a natural tendency toward aggressive behavior.  Often they experience sleep difficulties even after their mood has stabilized.  They lack the ability to age appropriately problem-solve due to brain deficits in the areas of sustained attention, working memory, verbal memory and executive function. PANDA program is designed to address the psychosocial problems associated with pediatric bipolar and mood disorders and focuses in on the situations that children have to navigate on a daily basis.  The children are given permission to accept themselves first as human beings that are no different from any other child.  From there the child can learn to accept that they have a difference in how they are able to think, feel and behave due to a disorder that is not the result of something they had control over.  If the child can accept they have a disorder causing differences in their thoughts, feelings, and actions, then they can be in a better position to learn how to use techniques and strategies that lessen the negative effects of these differences and may actually put them in a position to learn socially acceptable behaviors along with their peers. 

            The goals of PANDA program are:

–        To recognize the causes of thoughts, feelings and actions

–        To adapt the belief “I am a good child with difficult symptoms”

–        To gain a sense of control over the problems that come from the disorder

The objectives are to have the child:

·        Learn self-acceptance

·        Learn techniques to lessen problems

·        Learn socially acceptable behaviors

For more information please contact:

 Sheila Babendir at Abundant Hope Counseling Center

602-228-8783