Presented by Maria Osborne, Chartered Educational Psychologist at Sensational Kids

In our 45-minute course, we will examine the causes of childhood anxiety before focusing on strategies to build resilience and emotional regulation so that children have the tools to respond to challenging life events. Over the course of the session, we will explore the neuroscience behind anxiety briefly and look at neuroplasticity; the ability of the brain to form and recognise synaptic connections.

We will put an emphasis on introducing manageable anxiety reducing habits and scaffolding the new habits onto existing routines. We will examine cognitive behavioral therapy exercises to empower children to replace negative thinking patterns with more positive ones

Specific strategies will include helping an anxious child to become a ‘feelings detective’. We will learn ways to encourage children to think about their thinking. We will learn the importance of teaching children that thoughts are not facts they are just thoughts. We will discuss how to develop a calming toolbox that your child can use in the classroom or at home.

Through techniques such as self-monitoring of thoughts, feelings, we will demonstrate how to support children to modify anxiety-related thoughts to produce changes in anxiety symptoms.

Course Objectives:

• Examine the causes of childhood anxiety and explore the neuroscience behind anxiety
• Provide participants with strategies to help build resilience and emotional regulation in children
• Provide guidance on introducing manageable anxiety-reducing habits for children
• Examine cognitive behavioural therapy exercises to empower children to replace negative thought patterns with more positive ones
• Empower participants to help children to think about their feelings and support children to modify anxiety-related thoughts
• To discuss how to develop a calming tool box to use at home or in the classroom

Additional information:

Concerns about increases in anxiety conditions have prompted Sensational Kids to provide a webinar for parents and teachers on Childhood Anxiety. The World Health Organization (2022) report that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety worldwide. In in our day-to-day practice in Sensational Kids we have seen an increase in children presenting with anxiety on our caseload.

Anxiety disorders are well recognised as the most common psychological problem for children and adolescents. It is suggested that children as young as three and four can present with persistent anxiety disorders.

The changing goal posts of the COVID-19 pandemic affected children in different ways. There is no doubt that children have experienced a series of anxiety inducing life events from the Covid’19 pandemic to the exposure to images of a war in the Ukraine to the recent shooting in Texas. As parents and educators, we cannot change the outside world for anxious children, but we can change their inner world by providing children with solid coping strategies.

When you purchase a course with Sensational Kids you're supporting a child in therapy. 100% of the profits from our courses go towards subsidising therapy services for children in our Child Development Centres in Ireland

What you'll get:

• 45-minute course video delivered by a Chartered Educational Psychologist from Sensational Kids. Watch in your own time for up to 30 days after you purchase the course.
• Course slides for download
• Course certificate

For questions on this course please contact [email protected]