Downloaded 19 times
Uploaded bySummit Health
Helping Your Child with Anxiety
The document outlines strategies for helping children with anxiety, detailing common anxiety disorders, signs, and effective parental responses. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging feelings, allowing risk-taking, and encouraging self-management without accommodating or overly reassuring anxious behaviors. Additionally, it introduces Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques and resources, including recommended books and apps for children.
More Related Content
Similar to Helping Your Child with Anxiety
More from Summit Health
Helping Your Child with Anxiety
- 1. Helping Your Childwith Anxiety Presented by: Allison Berry, MSW, LCSW Kristin Cole, MSW, LCSW
- 2. Agenda • Relaxation exercise •What is anxiety? • Signs of anxiety disorders • Common sources of & types of anxiety • How to help your child • How we help your child • Questions & Answers
- 3. Lets take amoment • Relaxation Exercise
- 4. Anxiety & Parents •Anxiety affects family • Parents’ emotional response • Anxious kids, anxious parents
- 5. Define Anxiety • Anxietyis a feeling of apprehension that something might go wrong • Normal • Body alarm
- 6. Common Sources ofAnxiety • Preschool • Elementary • High school
- 7. Diagnosis • Most commonmental health issue • 12-20% of children have anxiety – more common in girls, especially as they mature • 1 in 4 kids • Tends to run in families
- 8. Types of AnxietyDisorders • Separation Anxiety • Social Anxiety • GAD • Phobias • Panic
- 9. Red Flags • Anxietyis a problem when it impacts your child’s functioning • Distress out of proportion to situation – consider the intensity of the response • Easily distressed/avoidance • Repetitive reassurance-seeking • Somatic issues
- 10. Red Flags cont. •Anticipatory (weeks, hours ahead) • Trouble with sleep • Overly responsible • Clinging to you • Excessive coaxing/consoling
- 11. How can parentshelp? • “A frightened captain makes a frightened crew” – we are powerful • Make room for feelings • Resist the urge to problem-solve • Have faith in their ability
- 12. How Parents CanHelp cont. • Gradually increase opportunities for risk taking • Model the process of managing “normal” worry • Resist reassurance • “I hear you, I see that you’re scared, I believe you can do this.”
- 13. In sum, Do’sand Don’ts • Do let him know its OK to be worried • Do acknowledge feelings • Do get his/her input/thoughts • Do stay calm • Do give kids control • Do reinforce effort
- 14. Don’ts • Don’t avoid •Don’t aim too high • Don’t accommodate • Don’t reassure • Don’t yell!
- 15. How does CBThelp? • Education • Cognitive Restructuring • Tolerance & Coping • Exposures • Practice
- 16.
- 17. Education • Thoughts vsfeelings • How children know that they are worried • Worry –makes you think of what you’re afraid of rather than what is really true.
- 18. Education cont. • Understandinganxiety using a “kid-friendly” approach • Label and draw • Fight-or-flight response aka the “false body alarm”
- 19. Identifying Thoughts & Symptoms •Put the worries into words by asking your child questions
- 20. Targeting the Thoughts •Cognitive restructuring • Focus on facts vs. what is feared • Use of evidence • Focus on ability to cope and plan • Example- “What if I fail my test?”
- 21. Targeting the Thoughtscont. • Best case and worst case scenarios • The advice you give to a friend is usually the best advice
- 22. Talking Back • Someworries do not make sense and are NOT worth your time • “Back talk” to the worries • “That’s not true!” “Go away!” “ I don’t have to listen to you anymore.” • Empowering and leads to exposures
- 23. Targeting the Symptoms •Tolerance- “that’s just my false alarm” • Use of distraction • “Belly” breathing • Guided relaxation strategy • iPhone apps
- 24. Avoidance Behavior • Anxietyoften leads to avoidance behaviors (ie; not going to school or parties, not sleeping alone) • Avoidance behaviors reinforce anxiety • The monster analogy
- 25. Exposures • Face yourfear • Encourage your child to engage in exposing him/herself to the feared scenario and practice use of strategies • Start with the first step, gradual
- 26. Reassurance • Children whoworry seek reassurance from parents over and over again • Like avoidance, it also reinforces anxiety and is a vicious cycle • Encourage self talk • Consistency in not responding with reassurance
- 27. Recommended Books • WhatTo Do When You Worry Too Much, by: Dawn Huebner • Freeing Your Child from Anxiety, by: Tamar Chansky • Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents, by: Reid Wilson • The Kissing Hand, by: Audrey Penn • The Invisible String, by: Patrice Karst
- 28. Apps for Kids •Stop Breathe and Think • Calm down now • Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame • Headspace (broken down by age) • Mindfulness for Kids • Fitbits
- 29.