Conquering Childhood Anxiety: A Guide to Effective Treatment Options for Parents and Caregivers
As a child and adolescent therapist, I've begun to think that perhaps anxiety is the pandemic after "the pandemic." As parents desperately seek help and treatment for their anxious children, the United States is experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals who can treat the growing mental health crisis amongst kids and teens.
Anxiety in Youth: The Unwanted Guest that Keeps on Knocking
Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health conditions in children and adolescents.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), about 31.9% of adolescents aged 13-18 experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) reports that anxiety disorders affect one in eight children in the United States.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 10% of children worldwide have a diagnosable anxiety disorder.
Specific phobias are the most common anxiety disorder in children and adolescents, with a prevalence rate of around 7-9%.
Social anxiety disorder affects around 6-8% of adolescents.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects around 3-5% of children and adolescents.
While the statistics are alarming, anxiety doesn't have to rule your child's life! In this article, I break down some of the best treatment options for childhood anxiety. From CBT to PCIT, I've got you covered with evidence-based ways to help your child become free from anxiety.
Anxiety Treatments
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has long been the gold-standard in treating child and teen anxiety. CBT is a type of talk therapy that helps children and adolescents identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to their anxiety.
CBT for childhood and adolescent anxiety often begins with emotion identification, which helps children and adolescents recognize and label their emotions more accurately. This can help them to better understand their own emotional experiences and communicate more effectively with others about their feelings. It also helps kids begin to discriminate between emotions, thoughts and actions, which will form the foundation of the CBT work in later sessions.
Emotions scaling is another important part of CBT, where the child or adolescent learns to rate the intensity of their anxiety on a scale. This can help them to become more aware of their anxiety, catch their worries while they're still small and identify situations or triggers that may cause it to increase or decrease.
Helping children and teens develop greater emotional awareness hinges on the ability to recognize the physical sensations associated with anxiety, such as heart palpitations, sweating, or shaking. By becoming more aware of these sensations, the child or adolescent can learn to recognize the early signs of anxiety and develop strategies to manage it before it becomes overwhelming.
At the core of CBT is the cognitive work that takes place. Children and adolescents work collaboratively with their therapist to identify and challenge negative thoughts and behaviors that contribute to their anxiety. Through a process of active questioning and guided self-discovery, the child or adolescent learns to recognize and challenge unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior, and replace them with more positive and adaptive ones.
CBT can be delivered in individual or group settings, and typically involves a series of structured sessions over several weeks or months. CBT has been shown to be highly effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety in children and adolescents, and can also provide them with long-term coping skills that can be applied to other areas of their lives.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children with Anxiety and Mood Disorders (PCIT-CALM)
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children with Anxiety and Mood Disorders (PCIT-CALM) is a powerful intervention designed to address anxiety and mood disorders in young children. This approach is a specific protocol within the larger Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) model, which emphasizes the importance of improving the parent-child relationship as a foundation for effective treatment.
The CALM protocol focuses on empowering parents with the skills and tools they need to support their child's emotional regulation and coping abilities. Parents learn specific strategies to help their child manage anxiety through live coaching and support from their child's PCIT therapist.
PCIT-CALM is designed to be a collaborative and integrative approach, meaning that the therapist works closely with both the child and the parent to ensure that they are both fully engaged and invested in the treatment process. This collaborative approach helps to foster a strong sense of trust and partnership between the family and the therapist.
The PCIT-CALM protocol incorporates the use of PRIDE skills, which stands for praise, reflect, imitate, describe, and enjoy. These skills are used to reinforce positive behaviors in the child and improve the overall parent-child relationship.
The therapist guides parents in using PRIDE skills to interact with their child during therapy sessions and at home. For example, parents may be encouraged to praise their child for completing a challenging task, reflect back on their child's emotions to help them feel understood, imitate their child's positive behaviors, describe their child's experiences to help them feel validated, and enjoy spending quality time together.
By using these skills, parents can create a positive and supportive environment for their child to grow and develop. The use of PRIDE skills not only improves the parent-child relationship but also enhances the effectiveness of the therapy. As parents become more skilled in using these techniques, they become more effective in helping their child manage anxiety and improve their overall functioning.
The ultimate goal of PCIT-CALM is to reduce anxiety and improve overall functioning in both the child and the family system. By strengthening the parent-child relationship and teaching parents effective strategies for supporting their child's emotional well-being, PCIT-CALM helps families build the resilience and coping skills they need to overcome anxiety and move forward towards a brighter future.
Medication
Medication can be an effective treatment option for childhood anxiety in some cases, but it is not usually the first line of treatment. Medication should only be considered after a thorough evaluation by a qualified healthcare provider, and is often used in combination with other interventions such as psychotherapy, parent training, and lifestyle modifications.
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a unique treatment approach designed for parents to use in helping their child cope with anxiety. Unlike traditional therapies, SPACE involves only the parents as the primary agents of change.
The treatment involves teaching parents specific strategies for responding to their child's anxiety in a supportive and validating manner, while also encouraging the child to gradually face their fears and develop coping skills.
A key focus of SPACE is reducing parental accommodation, which refers to the ways parents inadvertently reinforce their child's anxiety by providing excessive reassurance or avoiding anxiety-provoking situations.
SPACE emphasizes the importance of creating a positive and nurturing environment. The therapist helps parents identify specific triggers for their child's anxiety and develop a plan to provide support and comfort during times of distress, without reinforcing or accommodating the anxiety.
The goal of SPACE is to reduce the child's anxiety by eliminating parental accommodation. By reducing parental accommodation and teaching parents specific strategies for responding to their child's anxiety, SPACE helps parents become more confident in supporting their child's emotional well-being. This approach is particularly effective for children who may not feel comfortable attending traditional therapy sessions alone, as it provides a safe and supportive environment where they can learn to manage their anxiety with the help of their parents.
Safe and Sound Protocol ( SSP)
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a cutting-edge treatment approach that has been gaining popularity in recent years. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the SSP is based on the Polyvagal Theory, which suggests that the vagus nerve plays a crucial role in regulating our body's stress response. The SSP aims to stimulate the vagus nerve through a specific type of filtered music. By doing so, it helps to reduce symptoms of anxiety, enhance emotional regulation, and improve social engagement. The protocol involves listening to the music for a specific period of time each day over several days or weeks. The SSP is a non-invasive treatment approach that can be used on its own or in combination with other interventions, such as CBT or medication, to help children and adolescents overcome their anxiety and lead healthier, happier lives.
Childhood anxiety is a growing concern, with millions of children and adolescents worldwide affected by this condition. Fortunately, there are several evidence-based treatment options available that can help young people overcome their anxiety and lead more fulfilling lives. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) remains the gold standard in treating chldhood anxiety, but other promising approaches include PCIT-CALM, SPACE, and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). By combining these interventions with parental support and guidance, children can learn to manage their anxiety and build emotional resilience. With proper treatment and support, young people can thrive and achieve their full potential, free from the limitations imposed by anxiety.
We're dedicated to providing parents with the tools and support they need to help their children overcome anxiety and live happy, healthy lives.
If you found this article helpful, be sure to check out the resources on our website. We're also offering a FREE 36-page workbook, Anxiety IQ: A Kid's Guide to Understanding and Managing Anxiety. You can access your copy of the workbook by clicking on this link.
If you're interested in learning more about SSP and whether it's right for your child, be sure to download our FREE SSP checklist and guide via this link.
