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Course Overview
Anxiety Disorders are one of the most common mental health diagnoses in school-age children. We will focus our attention on grade school children ages 5 to 10 years. Diagnosing can be complicated by overlapping symptoms with other concerns including ADHD and angry outbursts. We will review several anxiety diagnoses seen in children and consider how symptoms impact day-to-day life and developmental tasks. Treatment of younger children is most successful when parents or caregivers are able to support their child in "shrinking the worry monster". We will discuss ways to align with the child and family as they create an action plan to best address the child's needs at home, in the community, and at school.
This intermediate level course is appropriate for psychologists, social workers, counselors, educators, and other human services professionals working with children and their families who are dealing with anxiety issues.
ONE MINUTE OVERVIEW
Participants will be able to:
Identify methods to help children creatively take charge of "shrinking the worry monster."
Develop action plans to address children's needs at home, in the community, and at school.
Utilize a collaborative approach when working with children and their families to address anxiety symptoms.
Describe anxiety disorders common in school-aged children and their impact on development tasks and treatment strategies effective in treating anxiety disorders in children.
"This presentation was great and provided a strong foundation for those with little experience and a good refresher for those already working in the field. The handouts were very helpful and the trainer was a great source of information without a doubt! The presentation seemed more informational then directive (which I like). I will be adding the information learned to the anxiety treatments I currently use."
Michael B.
Laura Gaines, MSW, LISW-S
Laura has twenty years of experience as a child and adolescent mental health clinician and Crisis Text Line volunteer. Laura worked with children, their parents and their school districts to diagnose, treat and manage anxiety disorders in children at home and in the community. Her goal was to empower even the youngest child to find ways to "shrink the worry monster" so that they could focus on having fun, building relationships, and learning. Trainer and researcher regarding resilience as an individual and community skill. Laura provides clinical consultation regarding child and adolescent mental health. Her trainings focus on child development, mental health, developmental disabilities, ethics, trauma-informed care, resilience, and each person’s individual solutions to life’s challenges.
"The trainer was knowledgeable and showed us how to use the tools described with our clients as well as with kids throughout the school year. Through our breakout rooms, we were shown how to use the tools in our own practice. Through a child's artistic process, we were reminded how to watch their emotional status to better teach them emotional tools. Should the opportunity arise, these tools could also be used by an in-school or online counselor."
Holly H.G.
"Comprehensive training that included useful and applicable information including several examples of how we can help children and their families deal with anxiety. The anxiety monster was a great tool for breaking anxiety into pieces for the child. I loved how many of the tools taught can be used anywhere with just pen and paper. This was an absolutely amazing training and Laura Gaines was great!"
Crystal H.
"Thank you so much for all that you are doing to help us help neglected and abused children. These trainings are excellent and invaluable and have given me insights that are making me a more effective GAL."