1. Enabling all to flourish
St. Paul’s C of E Primary School
Support for Anxious Children
October 2018

2. Enabling all to flourish
Our Core Purpose:
We aim to provide a safe and nurturing environment, based on Christian values, where all feel confident to learn, face challenges and take risks.
We ensure that all are motivated, engaged and supported in becoming the best possible version of themselves.

3. Enabling all to flourish
‘Anxiety problems are extremely common among children, they can present a serious problem, and they can be overcome’.
Cathy Creswell (Clinical Psychologist at the university at Reading)

4. Enabling all to flourish What are fears and worries?
What are fears and worries?
Have an expectation that something bad is going to happen
Fight and flight and bodily changes.
So if its normal why are we so concerned by it?

5. Enabling all to flourish Common fears and worries:
Specific phobias
Social phobias
Generalized anxiety
Separation anxiety
Panic disorders
Post traumatic disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Research:
5-10% of children will have a diagnosis of anxiety (1in 20 children)
Peer groups and academic performance
Half of people suffer from anxiety also experience symptoms of low mood or depression

6. Enabling all to flourish Will my child grow out of this problem?
Will my child grow out of this problem?
Research shows that spontaneous recovery is slow and symptoms generally persist
Treatments for childhood anxiety however have excellent success rates
‘If your child is experiencing anxiety problems it is very important that it is recognised and dealt with’.

7. Enabling all to flourish
How are fears and worries developed in children?
Rare to be just one thing normally a variety of influences
Genetics and inherited personality characteristics (genetic influence and characteristics)
Learnt experiences from others and events
Anxiety Characteristics
Speed at which we jump to action in response to a situation
How generally emotional we are
Experiences
Crucial influence on how fears and worries develop
Doing what others do / Watching others react
Parental passing on fears intentionally or not
Coping experiences- need the opportunity to learn
Genes
Learning and
life experiences

8. Enabling all to flourish
What keeps children's fears and worries going?
Vicious cycles
Anxious thinking revisited
Bodily changes revisited
Anxious behaviour revisited
How others respond
Breaking the cycles

9. Enabling all to flourish
  What’s your role…
Rather than solving problems for your child , or reassuring them that everything will be fine , your role is to be both coach and cheerleader.
Our responsibility as adults to take he lead, motivate, encourage and be a good example.
Role is mainly focussed on asking questions and keep written records

10. Enabling all to flourish
Overcoming your child's fears and worries:
5 steps approach
Step 1: Learning to spot your child's anxious thoughts
Step 2: Helping your child to evaluate the thought and consider other points of view
Step 3: Encouraging independence and ‘having a go’
Step 4: Developing a step by step plan with your child
Step 5: Problem solving

11. Enabling all to flourish
Overcoming your child's fears and worries:
5 steps approach
Step 1: Learning to spot your child's anxious thoughts
Ask your child how they’re feeling in the moment/during the event
Make the way you ask show interest and support
Keep an open mind and don’t assume you know
Open questions; what and why
If necessary make suggestions- what might worry you about this situation
Repeat back your understanding of your child's fears for clarity.

12. Enabling all to flourish
Overcoming your child's fears and worries:
5 steps approach
Step 2: Helping your child to evaluate the thought and consider other points of view
Show that you are interested in there point of view and take it seriously
Discover what makes your child hold their thought
Help your child consider other points of view
Help your child to conduct experiments to put their fear to the test
Hold back reassurance
Be creative and make it fun where possible.

13. Enabling all to flourish
Overcoming your child's fears and worries:
5 steps approach
Step 3: Encouraging independence and ‘having a go’
Be on the lookout for your child having a go
Praise and reward having a go
Set your child a good example of how you manage your fears
Give your child clear messages that he or she can have a go and can cope.

14. Enabling all to flourish
Overcoming your child's fears and worries:
5 steps approach ’
Step 4: Developing a step by step plan with your child
Know that avoidance keeps the fear going
Help your child face fears gradually
Have a step by step plan
Help your child come up with their own helpful thoughts
Praise and reward attempts made
If a step is too much and too soon break it down
Practice, practice, practice

15. Enabling all to flourish
Overcoming your child's fears and worries:
5 steps approach
Step 5: Problem solving
Help your child to define the problem clearly
Encourage your child to come up with as many solutions as possible
Ask your child questions to keep them thinking about the consequences of their suggestions and how practical they are
Ask your child to rate/score each solution and then choose
Recognise the enormous step they are making in becoming an independent problem solver.

16. Enabling all to flourish Managing your own anxiety
Managing your own anxiety
Own fears and anxiety- write them down
Encouraging helpful thinking-everyone has fears and everyone feels scared. Share how you deal with fears
What is happening?
What am I thinking?
Evidence and alternatives
What happened in the end?

17. Enabling all to flourish Managing your own anxiety
Managing your own anxiety
Worries about your child
What do you expect of your child?
Giving negative or positive information
Encouraging problem solving
Seek further help for yourself

18. Enabling all to flourish
Keep it going
Things I have done that have been helpful for reducing my child's anxiety
Keep practising the skills
Keep working towards new goals
Reward yourself for the work you have done and the progress you have made.

19. Enabling all to flourish
What is the problem?
List all he possible solutions
What would happen if I choose the solution ? (to my anxiety in the long or short term )
Is this plan doable? Yes/ No
How good is this plan? rate 0-10
What happened ?

20. Enabling all to flourish
Relaxation
Relaxation is good for children who experience lots of physical symptoms of anxiety
Use these techniques regularly
Build them into a routine

21. Enabling all to flourish
St. Paul’s C of E Primary School
Support for Anxious Children
Thank you for coming