ANXIETY
Students in the school may experience anxiety for a variety of reasons. Counselors can work with school staff to identify these students, design interventions, and make appropriate referrals.
Symptoms
1. Excessive anxiety, worry or fear
2. A specific fear that significantly interferes with the student’s daily life
3. Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea or digestion problems
4. Concentration difficulties, trouble sleeping, and irritability
Possible Causes
1. Traumatic experience
2. Projected anger – Ex: If physically abused, afraid of monsters hitting them
3. Physiological – central nervous system highly reactive
4. Inconsistent, neglectful or confusing environment
5. Perfectionist – standards too high. May be result from excessive criticism.
Goals
1. Verbally identify specific worries, fears and anxieties
2. Reduce anxiety so that daily functioning is not impaired.
3. Increase physical exercise as means of reducing anxiety feelings.
4. Implement relaxation and cognitive diversion activities to decrease the level of anxiety.
How to Help
1. Identify specific worries, fears and anxieties
2. Use behavioral techniques to face fears. If a student is agoraphobic, ask them to draw a picture of going outside. Then have them imagine going outside. Ask them to take one step outside. Increase the steps and amount of time outside until they are not fearful of going outside. Don’t rush this process. It may take weeks or longer.
3. Be firm, encouraging and compassionate.
4. Promote security – provide a consistent and caring environment
5. Explore distorted cognitive messages that mediate the anxiety response
6. Encourage the expression of feelings
7. Use art, play or role-plays to practice strategies of handling anxiety and fears
8. Assist parents in placing the students in extracurricular activities that involve exercise and foster friendships
9. Assist parents in fostering a consistent, nurturing and dependable environment 10. Teach relaxation and cognitive diversion
11. Explore with student the steps needed to engage with friends
Anxiety Resources
Websites
Anxiety Disorder Association of America
Professional website provides information, resources, professional therapist referrals, and much more for treating individuals with anxiety disorder.
Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adults
A wealth of articles and resource links to help with a variety of childhood disorders.
Helping Children Handle Disaster-Related Anxiety
A comprehensive resource site to assist schools and parents in dealing with disaster anxiety at various development stages.
Anxiety Disorders in Children - Keep Kids Healthy Conditions Anxiety Disorders in children and adolescents are very common and can include a generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc
Selective Mutism in Children Information about this social anxiety disorder and other web links.
The Child Anxiety Network Provides thorough, user-friendly information for parents, teachers and healthcare professionals who work with children who experience anxiety.
BOOKS
Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents -- by John S. March (Editor)
Anxiety in Childhood and Adolescence: Encouraging Self Help Through Adolescence by Frank Carter, Peter Cheesman
A Handbook of Childhood Anxiety Management by Kedar Nath Dwivedi
From Panic to Power : Proven Techniques to Calm Your Anxieties, Conquer Your Fears, and Put You in Control of Your Life by Lucinda Bassett
Helping Your Anxious Child by Ronald M. Rapee (Editor), et al
Learning to Say Goodbye: Starting School and Other Early Childhood Separations by D. Nancy Balaban
Monsters Under the Bed and Other Childhood Fears: Helping Your Child Overcome Anxieties, Fears, and Phobias -- by Stephen W., Ph.D. Garber
Taming Monsters, Slaying Dragons: The Revolutionary Family Approach to Overcoming Childhood Fears and Anxiety by Joel Feiner, Graham Yost (Photographer)
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund J., Ph.D. Bourne
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer, M.D. Johnson