Supporting children with anxiety: Developing resilience and coping skills

1. Supporting children with anxiety: Developing resilience and coping skills Tracey House Specialist Teacher for Inclusive Practice Fiona Dawson Educational Psychologist

2. Ground Rules For the Group • Health Warning! • What is said in the room stays in the room • Respect each other and each others views & feelings • Take turns to talk one at a time and listen to each other • Put your hand up and no calling out • Questions welcomed at anytime • No Mobile Phones • Any other ground rules?

3. Aims of the Session • Define anxiety • Recognise triggers that can cause anxiety in children • Recognise signs and symptoms of anxiety in children • Explore the cycle of anxiety • Consider types of anxiety disorders • Explore model of resilience • Know where to go and get help if needed

4. What does anxiety mean to you?

5. What is it ? Anxiety is not dangerous Anxiety is normal Anxiety is part of life Anxiety is adaptive Anxiety can be a problem

6. Anxiety is a normal part of development 0 - 5 Months Loss of support, loud noises 7 - 12 MonthsFear of strangers, fear of the unexpected 1 YearsSeparation from main attachment figures, toileting and injury fears 2 - 6 YearsMany fears: loud noises, animals, darkness, separation, life changes, strangers, Injury, monsters 7 – 8 YearsSupernatural beings, dark, media events, left alone, injury 9 - 12 Years Test and exams, school performance, bodily injury, physical appearance, thunder and lightning, death, the dark

7. What is Anxiety? • Type of fear or strong feeling about a situation • Thought of a threat or something which may go wrong in the future • Causes fright and uncertainty • Lasts a short time or can be prolonged • Can affect our ability to eat, sleep, concentrate, travel, leave the house, go to school and work • Can interfere with our enjoyment and take over our lives our life and control thoughts and behaviours

8. Why do children get Anxious? • Sense fear • Extreme reaction to everyday events • Loss of control • Stress to a life situation • Release of adrenaline in the body • Preparation for an emergency • “Fight or flight” primitive response • Increase blood flow to muscles • Dilated pupils, increased muscle activity etc.

9. Triggers • What worries, scares and frightens your children?

10. Triggers • After something bad has happened i.e. assault/burglary/accident • Significant life events i.e. bereavement/illness/separation/blended families/domestic violence/bullying/exams • Dogs, spiders, snakes, flying, wasps • Genetic predisposition – how we are made up • Temperamental disposition – how we behave • Learnt pattern of behaviours– avoiding situation reinforces fear • Uncertainty causes feeling of loss of control – A fear of having to do something new or out of our comfort zone.

11. Physical signs of anxiety in Children • What physical signs of anxiety does Adrenaline cause?

12. Physical Signs of Anxiety • Fast / irregular heart beat • Increased breathing rate / hyperventilation / shallow breathing • Dry mouth or throat • Weak/ tense /tingling or aching of muscles • Feeling lightheaded /headaches/dizziness • Stomach aches or bowel problems • Sweating – hot and cold • “Frozen” to the spot • Blurred vision • Tense muscles

13. Psychological Affects • Feeling fearful and panicky • “Frozen” thought processes • Nagging sense of fear • Tearful • Feeling tired • Insomnia/ nightmares • Irritable • Difficulty concentrating • Loss of self confidence • Depression, Anxiety and Anger can be linked

14. Vicious Cycle Of Anxiety

15. Activity Can you recall a time when you have been in danger or feared that you could be in danger How did you feel? What did you notice? What were you thinking?

16. Helping children to develop resilience • What do we mean by Resilience? • Angie Hart’s Resilience Theory • The Resilience Framework is an evidence based user-friendly way to highlight the ordinary things that can be done to promote resilience.

17. The Resilience Framework • Basics • Belongings • Learning • Coping • Core Self • Basics • Belongings • Learning • Coping • Core Self

18. 1. Basics • Good enough housing • Safe, comfortable place to sleep • Healthy diet • Physical exercise • With basic structures in place children can experience better peace of mind and better deal with challenges to emotional regulation

19. 2. Belonging • Belonging to groups • Friendships groups • Extra-curricular activity • Favourite places in and out of schools • Where does your child really feel they belong?

20. 3 and 4 Learning and Coping • Learning to function successfully in the world is a key part of addressing anxiety and building resilience • Helping your child to learn how to cope, how to express their emotions appropriately, how to understand boundaries, to have aspirations are crucial in helping them to combat anxiety and become resilient. • The next few slides explore a number of strategies and approaches you can model and teach your children to learn and cope when feeling anxious.

21. What can help with anxiety? Can you help your child to....? • NOTICE when they feel anxious • STOP when they notice it • DISTRACT themselves by doing something they enjoy • WORRY TIME – allocate 15 minutes worry time a day to help contain the worry time • THOUGHT DIARY – write down worries and fears and contain to a book you can just shut and close off your worries and fears • TALK to someone – a problem shared is a problem halved.

22. CHALLENGE WORRIES write positive challenging statements next to your worry thoughts – “What would you tell your best friend to do” • RELAXATION/MINDFULNESS • Go somewhere quite or just look out the window & let your mind relax • Think of your Happy Place & let your mind take you there • BREATHING EXCERCISES • Breath in & out regularly • Deep breath in through the nose and out through the nose • PROBLEM SOLVING using worry tree

23. Problem Solving your Worries

25. EXCERCISE releases endorphins – the feel good hormones • HEALTHY DIET having a health balanced diet, drinking plenty of water • SCREENTIME limits • SLEEPING making sure they get 8 hours a night can make a difference on mood and feelings • PLANNING AHEAD & BEING ORGANISED • PAMPER YOURSELF do what they enjoy

26. 5. Core self Core self focuses on the importance of the child understanding who they are and their own personal strengths. How can we help children to develop a positive self image? Core self is also about encouraging children to understand others’ core selves.

27. Books and resources • ‘What to do when you worry too much’ Dawn Heubner • The huge bag of worries, Virginia Ironside • Starving the Anxiety Gremlin, Kate Collins-Donnelly • Panicosaurus, Kay Al-Ghani • When my worries get too big, Kari Dunn Buron • Sitting like a frog, ElineSnel • The incredible 5 point scale, Kari Dunn Buron • Willy and the Wobbly House, Margot Sunderland

28. Support and information Mental Health Foundation • If you are worried you can speak to your child’s teacher, SENCo, go to your GP. • Or visit for more information: www.mentalhealth.org.uk Young Minds www.youngminds.org.uk www.childline.org.uk Phobics Society www.getselfhelp.org.uk www.anxietyuk.org.uk

29. Summary: how we can help children to... • Regain control of anxiety not anxiety controlling you • Keep things in proportion • Build the five aspects of resilience • Use coping strategies • Use distractions & enjoy life • Make the most of resources that are available • Knowing where to go and get help if you need it

30. Thank you for listening Questions?