Lily Pad Psychology Clinic TM FEBRUARY PROGRAM Nicole Dunn, Psychologist. Calm Kids Australia. Anxiety Group Treatment Program

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1 Lily Pad Psychology Clinic TM FEBRUARY PROGRAM 2016 Nicole Dunn, Psychologist Calm Kids Australia Anxiety Group Treatment Program Children 7-10yrs - SAMPLE PROGRAM - Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright)

2 About the Program Calm Kids Series This Anxiety Treatment Program is part of Lily Pad s group therapy services which aim to treat psychological challenges that our children face; such as general anxiety, cyber bullying, social difficulties. Clients access this treatment manual online and work through the sections in their own time, and review their progress with their therapist and peers in a group setting. The Program is set out week by week over a 6 session plan. Discussion of content and additional exercises are provided each session. You are welcome to access the program and complete it alone, however results are best achieved with therapist and peer support; which can take place across sessions. We are not responsible for the success of this program with out the support of our therapist and your attendance at group sessions. Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 2

3 Welcome to the Program! Welcome! We are so glad you ve leapt into this program! Lily Pad Psychology Clinic works by the philosophy that we bounce through life s up s and down s and that Psychological reflection and support are best utilised when we feel we are getting stuck in a rut and need to gain insight and strategies to jump off the lily pad again (so to speak) and leap back into life! Hence, our name Lily Pad Psychology Clinic. I have designed this program to be a basic manual to support the therapy you are receiving with myself. Please work through this program in-line with the sessions we have together, of course we can skip parts and spend more time on parts you may need/want to focus on. We can also spend time on topics outside of this manual, that you may want to explore, as we go through. I am trained in lots of forms of therapy including ACT, CBT, DBT, Schema Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy and Psychoeducation and I provide individual, couples and family treatment, so we can use a mix of what you are wanting to get the best outcomes. There are resources attached to this program that are free to download, many of these resources will be valuable tools for you to use regularly to overcome the challenges of anxiety. I will also direct you to other online resources, that are also useful, for your exploration. Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 3

4 What is Anxiety Everybody feels anxious or stressed sometimes. Feeling anxious and nervous a lot can feel pretty awful. It can also stop you from doing things you need or want to do. The Calm Kids Program will show you how to manage your anxiety and worries to feel better. By the end of the program you will have learned all the strategies you need to cope with anxiety and stress. Anyone can learn the strategies to deal with anxiety, it just takes practice! Anxiety is a normal response to threatening stimuli. We can cope quite well when we are exposed to short periods of stress, in fact, we have adapted a stress response so that we can cope very effectively when we are in danger. The diagram below shows our stress response: A problem occurs when we require our brains to keep us in this stress response for an extended period of time. The stress response is not something our bodies can keep up for long, as a result, we may feel fatigued, experience digestive discomfort, become depressed, irritated, angry or sad. So, the Stress Response is a normal working part of our brains/ bodies however an extended stress response, also known as Anxiety, can cause us problems if it is not treated. We can t make Anxiety go away by willing it away. We aren t born with the techniques to modulate our anxiety, we need to learn them. Many of us have learnt effective coping strategies from our families and friends. This program will go through coping strategies that Psychologist s teach clients to use to overcome Anxiety. There is a separate program on overcoming Depression, which you may also find useful to follow. Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 4

5 Program Content Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: What is Anxiety and how does it affect me? Techniques to stop feeling anxious Strategies to build Calm Step Ladder (exposure) program Flipping your brain (cognitive challenging and CBT) Changing attitudes toward Anxiety (its not the enemy) Staying well and Anxiety free Page 6 Page X Page X Page x Page x Page x Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 5

6 Am I experiencing Anxiety? Before we begin the Calm Kids Program, it's important for you to be able to tell us how you're feeling. Below is the feelings thermometer. You can use this thermometer to measure how strong your feelings are in a situation. A rating of 0 would show that you are not at all worried. A rating of 10 would mean that you are feeling extremely worried. Overall, how worried have you been today? Click on the numbers on the feelings thermometer to show your answer. Describe a time when you felt extremely worried. Describe a time when you felt a lot of worry. Describe a time when you felt a little bit worried. Please complete the Self Assessment and discuss your results with your clinician. Do you think these results are an accurate reflection of how you ve been feeling? Are you surprised by your results? How long ago were they different? What was happening then? Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 6

7 Todays Activities 1. Mapping My World 2. Did You Know? 3. Types of Anxiety 4. Anxiety Quiz 5. The 4 Aspects of Anxiety 6. Why Are Some Teenagers Anxious? 7. What Does BRAVE Stand For? 8. Set Your Goals 9. Quiz Show 10. Extreme Challenge Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 7

8 1. Mapping my world Tell us about yourself: Create a map of your world by typing your answers in the shapes below: Brothers or sisters Favourite movie Favourite band/singer Pet Describe yourself Favourite food Hobbies or interests Best friend Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 8

9 2. Did you know? Facts about Anxiety: Anxiety is one of the most common health problems among adolescents. Approximately 1 in 10 children suffer from anxiety. No matter how old or young you are, everyone experiences anxiety at times. Anxiety is a normal reaction. It can even be helpful in some situations. Anxiety can become a problem when it stops someone from doing things they want or need to do. Kids can feel nervous or worried about many different things Lily Pad Psychology Clinic (Copyright) 9

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