Managing Childrens Anxieties: A New Opportunity for Parents as Coaches presentation

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Title: Managing Childrens Anxieties: A New Opportunity for Parents as Coaches

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Managing Childrens Anxieties A New
Opportunity for Parents as Coaches The
F.O.R.C.E. Society for Kids Mental Health
www.bckidsmentalhealth.org
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What is F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?

School-based early intervention and prevention
program
Build resilience and reduce risk of anxiety
disorders in children
Teach coping with fears and worries
Equip kids with tools to manage difficult
situations, now and later in life
(http//www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/mental_health/friends.
htm)

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F.R.I.E.N.D.S. in BC Schools

5th year of implementation
50,000 grade 4 and 5 students to date
Life skills to help to cope with worries and
stress reduce risk of anxiety disorder.
New Grade 7 FRIENDS For Youth (2008)
(http//www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/mental_health/friends.h
tm)

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Why FRIENDS

FRIENDS is an acronym for the skills and
strategies taught in the program
Our body is our friend
Be a good friend to ourselves
Make new friends
Talk to our friends

F eelings
R emember to Relax
I can do it! I can try my best!
E xplore Solutions and Coping Step Plans
N ow reward yourself! Youve done your best!
D ont forget to practice!
S mile! Stay calm for life!

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Who Sponsors F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?

Child and Youth Mental Health Services within the
Ministry of Children and Family Development
(MCFD)
In cooperation with Ministry of Education, school
districts and independent schools
Delivered by school professionals
Addresses prescribed learning outcomes in the
Health and Career Education K-7 curriculum.
(http//www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/mental_health/friends.h
tm)

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Who We Are We are parents whose childrens
lives are touched by mental disorders When We
Learned We Werent Alone January 2000and
every day since Why We Formed a Society To
ensure mental health care and services are
provided to children and youth and to assist
their families in finding information and support

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Parent Training in BC

Led by The F.O.R.C.E. Society for Kids Mental
Health (with funding from MCFD)
First offered in 2005
Facilitated by school counsellor parent team in
collaboration with PAC other community supports
Contact Kelly Angeles
email mcf.cymhfriends_at_gov.bc.ca

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Truth vs. Belief about Anxiety Disorders

Approx. 60,000 children and youth in BC have an
anxiety disorder. Truth
Poor parenting is the cause of the disorders.
Belief
Parents of children ill with a mental disorder
are treated with less respect. Truth
Parents can help prevent kids worries from
developing into anxiety disorders. Truth
A minimum of 1 in 10 babies in a hospital nursery
will exhibit signs of stress or anxiety. Truth

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Program Approach

All feelings are normal
What we DO with our feelings is what counts the
most

What is YOUR
secret/not so secret fear?

FRIENDS is based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
(CBT) approach
CBT is the best evidence based practice for
treating anxiety and depression

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A Closer Look at CBT
What you think affects
How you feel which affects
What you do.
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Becoming Aware of What Youre Saying to
Yourself (Thoughts)The way we THINK influences
the way we FEEL and BEHAVE
Feelings
Thoughts
Situation
Behaviours
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Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts

Im so hopeless, Ill never be good at
anything
I have to be the best or I cant play
Theyll think Im stupid if I dont know the
answer
I know theyre laughing at me

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FLEXIBILITY in THINKINGChanging unhelpful RED
thoughts
Feelings
Difficult Situation
Unhelpful thoughts
Reactive Behaviours
Problem Solving Generate many solutions as a
family/school group
Helpful thoughts
Feelings
Proactive Behaviours
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When Should I Worry?(About My Childs Worries)

You need to worry when anxious thoughts result in
behaviors that interfere with normal daily
functions in life

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Normative Data on Childrens Fears

1-5 loss of support, loud noises
Mths
7-12 fear of strangers, fear of sudden,
unexpected and looming
Mths objects
1yr separation from parent, toilet, injury,
strangers
2yrs may fears, including loud noises, animals,
dark rooms,
separation, large objects, change in
environment
3-4 masks, the dark, separation, noises
5yrs bad people, bodily harm, animals, dark,
separation

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Normative Data (contd)

6 yrs super natural beings, bodily injuries,
thunder and
lightening, dark, sleeping or staying alone
7-8 supernatural beings, dark, fears based on
media
yrs events, staying alone, injury
9-12 tests and exams, school performance, bodily
injury,
yrs physical appearance, thunder and lightening,
death,
the dark(low percentage)
Adolescence school, home, safety, political
issues, personal
relationships, personal appearance, natural
phenomenon, future, animals

Depression
Sadness
Loss of pleasure
Social withdrawal
Early morning insomnia
Hopelessness and helplessness
Irritability
Negative memory biases
Poor concentration
Flat affect
Appetite changes

Excessive

Anxiety
Worry (anticipatory)
Avoidance
Attention to threat
Fast and sustained physiological arousal
Psychosomatic complaints
Difficulty in resting and going to sleep
Shyness
Social withdrawal
Perfectionism

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Frequently Overlooked Symptoms

Angry outbursts
Oppositional refusal behaviours
Temper tantrums
Aggression
Attention seeking behaviours
Hyperactivity difficulty sitting still
Scholastic underachievement or resistance to
doing work
Frequent visits to school office
or physician
High number of missed school days
Difficulties with social or group activities

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FFeelings

Where do you feel anxious?
Kelly Koalas Body Clues
feeling sick
Feeling hot
Sweaty
Trembling
Difficulty breathing
Sore neck and shoulders
Needing to go to toilet
Funny tummy

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Feelings

Learning and understanding our own and other
peoples feelings
Working on feeling happy, brave, and confident

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Remember to Relax

Remember to relax
Relaxation exercises
Breathe deeply and slowly
Have a drink of cold water
Wash your face with cold water
Have a quiet time

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R Remember to Relax

Relaxation exercises
Awareness
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Muscle relaxation (leader p. 44)
Visualization
Sports relaxation page 21

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I Can Do It!

I can do it! Ill do my best!
Self-talk creates good feelings or bad feelings
I can remember to think helpful green thoughts
rather than bad red thoughts.

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Explore Solutions Step Plans

The Six-Block Problem Solving Plan
Define the problem
List the possible solutions (brain storm)
List what might happen for each solution
Select best solution
Put plan into action
Did it work? evaluate outcome

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Your Coping Step Plan pg 43
Step 6 GOAL
Step 5
Step 4
Step 3
Step 2
Step 1
MY COPING ROLE MODEL ___________
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Now Reward Yourself

Now reward yourself.You succeeded
Reward yourself for trying hard, not for being
perfect
Rewards dont have to be big or expensive
Negotiate rewards

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D Dont Forget to Practice

Plan ahead for challenging situations
Get support from others be proactive
Coach, role-play model behaviours
Think in helpful positive ways
Focus on solutions
Lapses are OK!
Always room for improvement
Use FRIENDS ideas in advance to help your kids
when they are feeling worried or anxious ?
front-end loading

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Smile, Stay Calm!!

Smile, stay calm!
Spend your time with special people who make you
feel happy and good about yourself

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Our Kids Are Counting on Us

To act as a community to support and help them
To see them through a different lens, and think
of them beyond their behaviour
To help them get through the really tough times
by reminding them of the skills they have learned

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Resources Contact Info

Taming the Worry Dragon Series
Includes books, manuals and videotapes
Call 604.875.3549
Anxiety Disorders in Children and Youth
Special issue of VISIONS (BCs mental health
journal)
www.cmha-bc.org/content/resources/visions/issues/1
4.pdf
Self-test for Teens experiencing anxiety problems
www.adaa.org/Public/selftest_ADA.htm
Self-test for parents of a child experiencing
anxiety problems
www.adaa.org/Public/selftest_children.htm

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Continuum of Care

The skills learned in grades 4 or 5 with the
FRIENDS become life skills to be used forever.
Parents can also use the skill when they hit a
rough patch or situation
Just because your child is doing well today,
doesnt mean they dont need skills for
managing stress and anxiety
tomorrow