Grades 5–6 (children in late elementary and early middle school).

Coping Power grew out of an earlier program, the Anger Coping Program, which worked only with children, without parent involvement. Coping Power expanded on that model by adding a separate parent component to strengthen the effect.

The program's idea is to work in two directions at once: the child develops skills for coping with anger and resolving social conflicts, while parents simultaneously receive tools for more consistent and supportive parenting — the two processes reinforce each other. The children's component includes reviewing video case studies, practicing anger and anxiety coping skills through self-instruction and relaxation techniques, learning to recognize social situations (including peer pressure), and building social skills and academic organization. The parents' component teaches how to identify desirable and undesirable child behavior, use effective praise, and set consistent rules, and it also includes two sessions on stress management.

The program builds social skills, problem-solving and goal-setting abilities, and strengthens family engagement and communication, while reducing aggressive behavior.

The original format of the program consists of 34 group sessions plus periodic individual meetings for children, and 16 group sessions, individual contacts, and periodic home visits for parents. The full format spans 15–18 months. A shortened, one-school-year version is also available: 24 sessions for children and 10 for parents.

No exact current figure for the number of children or specialists who have completed the program is provided on the official website.

Besides the USA, the program is implemented by international partners in Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, Puerto Rico, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Peru, Greece, and Pakistan.

The program's primary language is English. There is no direct list of localized languages on the official website.

The program is recognized by Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development with Model status.

A randomized controlled study involving 245 at-risk children (as rated for aggressiveness by teachers), with the intervention delivered in grades 5–6 during the transition to middle school. Compared with the control group, participants showed significantly lower self-reported delinquency and substance use one year after the program, as well as lower teacher-rated aggression as far out as three years after completion.

A randomized controlled study with 183 boys at high risk for aggressive behavior. One year after completing the full version of the program (including the parent component), participants showed a significant reduction in self-reported delinquent behavior, a reduction in parent-reported substance use, and improved teacher-rated school behavior, compared with the control group.