Helping Kids Overcome Anxiety
My name is Jennifer Bishop. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with offices in Boca Raton and Virtually. I specialize in working with children ages 3 to 16 and with Adults on wellness and healing to live their life’s purpose.
Are You Worrying About Your Anxious Child?
You are not alone. Anxiety is the number one mental health problem facing children and adolescents today, but it is also the most treatable. If you are the parent of one of the millions of children who suffer from excessive fears and anxieties, I am here to help.
Without intervention, children tend to grow into their fears, not grow out of them. But once children have learned how to challenge worry’s authority and outsmart the tricks the brain can play, they are no longer at the whim of their fearful imaginations. Today, kids with anxiety can expect to learn the skills they need to lead a full and happy life. You can help them get there.
How Can CBT Help?
- First is Psychoeducation. Children need an explanation for how anxiety is triggered and maintained, and importantly how feeling anxious is not a reflection of the actual degree of danger or likelihood of risk in a situation.
- Second is Cognitive Restructuring. Children will be guided to generating and evaluating the accuracy of self-talk-their internal dialogue or appraisal of a situation.
- Third, because anxious thinking riles up the body, children are taught breathing and relaxation techniques.
- Fourth, children are coached to re-approach their feared situations now prepared with their new skills of smart thinking and calm breathing.
In effect, C.B.T. reprograms the brain, using words and behavior to replace irrational or dysfunctional thoughts and actions with rational ones.
If you have questions about your child’s anxiety or would like more information on anxiety disorders, CBT or working with us, contact us today.