Symposium 39 - The Kids FACE FEARS pragmatic randomized effectiveness study of therapist-led vs guided online CBT for pediatric anxiety: Overview, main findings, and secondary outcomes

Saturday, June 27, 2026

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM PDT

Location: Yerba Buena Salon 12, B3 Level

CE: 1.5

Keywords: Anxiety, Children, Technology / Mobile Health
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Comer, J.S., Pincus, D.B., Adrian, M., McCreary, G., Miller, L., Munarriz, T., Myers, K., Pierre-Louis, K.X., Platt, R., Ripley, M.K., Spencer, A.E., Syeda, H.S., Alegría, M., Brandt, A., Costa, C., Cooper, L., Coxe, S., Dantowitz, A., Dick, A.S., Farley, A.M., Furr, J.M., Keller, A., Lejeune, J.A., McLellan, L.F., McMakin, D.L., Merson, R.A., Muñoz, R.F., Rapee, R.M., Read, K.L., Rivero-Conil, S., Poznanski, B., Janvier, M., Salem, H.N., Shumway, P., Sikov, J., Porche, M.V., & Fortuna, L.R. (in press). The Kids FACE FEARS pragmatic randomized trial of therapist-led versus guided internet CBT for pediatric anxiety: Rationale and methods. JAACAP Open., Higa-McMillan, C., Francis, S.E., Rith-Najarian, L., & Chorpita, B.F. (2016). Evidence base update: 50 years of research on treatment for child and adolescent anxiety. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 45(2), 91-113., Walkup, J., Albano, A.M., Piacentini, J., et al. (2008). Cognitive behavioral therapy, sertraline, or a combination in childhood anxiety. New England Journal of Medicine, 359, 2753-2766., Kendall, P.C. (2025). Treating anxiety in youth: Less talk, more action. American Psychologist, 80(9),1384-1397.,

Chair(s)

Alyssa Farley, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Research Assistant Professor
Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Discussant(s)

Anne Marie Albano, ABPP, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Professor
Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York, United States

Presenter(s)

Donna Pincus, Ph.D.

Professor and Director, Child & Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
JC

Jonathan Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Florida International University
Miami, Florida, United States
JF

Jami Furr, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Clinical Associate Professor
Florida International University
Miami, Florida, United States
Adelia Kamenetskiy, B.S. (she/her/hers)

Doctoral Student
Florida International University
Miami, Florida, United States

CBT is the “gold standard” psychological treatment for pediatric anxiety, but barriers to care limit CBT accessibility, with minoritized youth particularly underserved. Modern CBT formats draw on varying levels of therapist involvement and differential technologies to overcome barriers, but much is unknown about their comparative effectiveness in typical care settings. The Kids Formats of Anxiety Care Effectiveness study For Extending the Acceptability and Reach of Services (Kids FACE FEARS) Trial (N=305) is a recently completed multisite, pragmatic randomized trial comparing Therapist-Led CBT (telehealth, office-based, or hybrid) versus Guided Online CBT (with minimal therapist support) for treating pediatric anxiety. Treatment was offered in English and Spanish to youth ages 7-18 years and their families. Participants were enrolled and randomized to one of the two treatment comparators in 4 US regions from high-volume, urban healthcare sites affiliated with major medical centers. All treatment was integrated into the natural flow of usual care and implemented by routine care providers (i.e., non-research therapists). Sample demographics make the Kids FACE FEARS Trial one of the larger, more diverse, and more representative trials of CBT for pediatric anxiety. This symposium will present a series of papers presenting the rationale and methods of the Kids FACE FEARS Trial, the trial’s main and secondary comparative effectiveness outcomes, and findings on treatment engagement in the trial and its moderating effect on pediatric anxiety outcomes. Discussant Anne Marie Albano will: (a) contextualize the Kids FACE FEARS findings within the broader child anxiety treatment literature; (b) discuss the trial’s implications for improving personalized care, patient-centered decision-making, and treatment efficiency; (c) address how the findings advance the study of technology and its optimal role in the treatment of youth anxiety; and (d) consider how the findings can be used to help tailor treatment selections for anxious youth in typical practice settings.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the rationale, design, and two specific aims of the Kids FACE FEARS Trial.
Describe the two treatment conditions compared in the Kids FACE FEARS Trial.
Identify two ways in which the Kids FACE Fears Trial addresses key gaps in the pediatric anxiety treatment literature.
Describe the main findings of the Kids FACE FEARS Trial.
Describe two secondary findings from the Kids FACE FEARS Trial.

Presentations:

2:05 PM - 2:22 PM PDT

(SYM 39) The Kids FACE FEARS Trial: Overview, Methods, and Sample Demographics
Speaker: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University
Co-Author: Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D. – Boston University
2:22 PM - 2:39 PM PDT

(SYM 39) CBT Training, Consultation, and Implementation in the Kids FACE FEARS Trial
Speaker: Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D. – Boston University
Co-Author: Jami M. Furr, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Florida International University
Co-Author: Alyssa M. Farley, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University
Co-Author: Rachel Merson, PsyD (she/her/hers) – Boston University
Co-Author: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University
2:39 PM - 2:56 PM PDT

(SYM 39) Comparing Therapist-led versus Guided Online CBT for Treating Pediatric Anxiety: Main Outcomes from the KIDS FACE FEARS Trial
Speaker: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University
Co-Author: Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D. – Boston University
Co-Author: Molly C. Adrian, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington
Co-Author: Anthony Dick, PhD – Florida International University
Co-Author: Lauren F. McLellan, D. Phil. – Macquarie University
Co-Author: Dana McMakin, Ph.D. – Florida International University, Department of Psychology
Co-Author: Leslie Miller, M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Author: Rheanna Platt, M.P.H., M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Author: Andrea Spencer, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hopsital of Chicago/Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-Author: Ronald Rapee, Ph.D. – Macquarie University
Co-Author: Michelle Porche, Ed.D. (she/her/hers) – UC Riverside School of Medicine
Co-Author: Lisa Fortuna, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – UC Riverside School of Medicine
2:56 PM - 3:13 PM PDT

(SYM 39) Comparing Therapist-led versus Guided Online CBT for Treating Pediatric Anxiety: Secondary Outcomes from the KIDS FACE FEARS Trial
Speaker: Jami M. Furr, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Florida International University
Co-Author: Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D. – Boston University
Co-Author: Molly C. Adrian, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington
Co-Author: Anthony Dick, PhD – Florida International University
Co-Author: Lauren F. McLellan, D. Phil. – Macquarie University
Co-Author: Dana McMakin, Ph.D. – Florida International University, Department of Psychology
Co-Author: Leslie Miller, M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Author: Rheanna Platt, M.P.H., M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Author: Andrea Spencer, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hopsital of Chicago/Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-Author: Ronald Rapee, Ph.D. – Macquarie University
Co-Author: Michelle Porche, Ed.D. (she/her/hers) – UC Riverside School of Medicine
Co-Author: Lisa Fortuna, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – UC Riverside School of Medicine
Co-Author: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University
3:13 PM - 3:30 PM PDT

(SYM 39) Treatment Engagement and Its Moderating Effects on Pediatric Anxiety Outcomes in the KIDS FACE FEARS Trial
Speaker: Adelia Kamenetskiy, B.S. (she/her/hers) – Florida International University
Co-Author: Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D. – Boston University
Co-Author: Anthony Dick, PhD – Florida International University
Co-Author: Molly C. Adrian, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington
Co-Author: Dana McMakin, Ph.D. – Florida International University, Department of Psychology
Co-Author: Leslie Miller, M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Author: Ronald Rapee, Ph.D. – Macquarie University
Co-Author: Lauren F. McLellan, D. Phil. – Macquarie University
Co-Author: Rheanna Platt, M.P.H., M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Co-Author: Andrea Spencer, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hopsital of Chicago/Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Co-Author: Michelle Porche, Ed.D. (she/her/hers) – UC Riverside School of Medicine
Co-Author: Lisa Fortuna, MD, MPH (she/her/hers) – UC Riverside School of Medicine
Co-Author: Jonathan S. Comer, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Florida International University