Childhood Anxiety Intervention

...

“Promising treatments exist for childhood anxiety that are amenable for delivery in school settings” (Sulkowski, Korch, 2011). This intervention study stressed how common anxiety is in children and that resulting impairments are indeed academic; meaning that anxiety treatment needs to be a priority of our children’s educators.

There are a handful of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) that have received notable results and that are within legalities of practicing them in a school setting. CBT for children with anxiety offers the following treatment options: Psychoeducation, exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, relaxation training, diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, contingent reinforcement, and modeling.

Therapies can be approached by a licensed therapist or councilor at the child’s school. Therapists can speak with the child and help them to identify the roots of the anxiety. They can help the student to be able to not only cope with the controllable thought processes but also cope with the uncontrollable emotions that accompany the anxiety. Breathing exercises and visualization practices are helpful and can be taught. Such frameworks are available to be implemented in school systems, and is suggested to work best as a preventative intervention (Sulkowski, Korch, 2011).

Conclusion:

In-school Interventions such as “Friends for Life” and Intervention Paradigms, as well as Parental counseling are available and doable opportunities for children facing anxiety to cope with the disorder and sometimes even overcome it. Intervention should start in the home, but also be acknowledged in the classroom.

Although each option is feasible and has highlights, there are some objections. Friends for Life suggests that it is only 40% effective and often takes months to see results. Intervention Paradigms implemented by licensed therapists at school must go through extensive permitting processes and usually take years to be applied to students in schools. However, Parental Intervention offers your child a one on one setting where they can talk. Parents can see related symptoms in themselves and can help a child to understand ways that they personally cope with their anxiety. The optimal treatment starts at home with the parent.

It is so vital that this disorder be recognized. If not attempted to be treated, it can have long standing implications that a child will carry into adulthood. It is still important to at the very least get these children talking about their anxiety so that they can if nothing else; cope healthily through communication with parents.

Citations:

Kösters, M. P., Chinapaw, M. J., Zwaanswijk, M., Wal, M. F., & Koot, H. M. (2015). Indicated Prevention of Childhood Anxiety and Depression: Results From a Practice-Based Study up to 12 Months After Intervention. American Journal of Public Health,105(10), 2005-2013. doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302742

Wei, C., & Kendall, P. C. (2014). Parental Involvement: Contribution to Childhood Anxiety and Its Treatment. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review,17(4), 319-339. doi:10.1007/s10567-014-0170-6

Sulkowski, M. L., Joyce, D. K., & Storch, E. A. (2011). Treating Childhood Anxiety in Schools: Service Delivery in a Response to Intervention Paradigm. Journal of Child and Family Studies,21(6), 938-947. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9553-1