As parents, educators, and mental health professionals, we all want to be helpful to the children and teens in our life. And we all want to help them manage their anxiety effectively. However, in us wanting them to feel better, sometimes our actions can unintentionally make kids’ anxiety worse. In today’s episode, I discuss the common traps that caregivers, educators, and mental health professionals (and all adults, really) fall into that can maintain anxiety in children and teenagers.
It’s important to understand that knowing what maintains anxiety is far more crucial than figuring out where the anxiety came from. Pinpointing the exact cause of anxiety can be difficult, if not impossible, given the way our brain works (and its tendency to make irrational associations). However, understanding what keeps it going is essential. Because there is something we can do about it. As caregivers, educators, or mental health professionals, we cannot effectively help our anxious children and teens if we’re not aware of the variables – including the things that we are doing – that are maintaining their anxiety.
We need to stop falling into these traps if we are ever going to see progress with our kids.
This informative episode is essential to explore the traps that adults can fall into that maintain anxiety in children and teenagers. Learn how to identify and address these variables to help children and teens manage their anxiety better.
You can also check out this blog series for more information about specific parent traps.
I also have FREE webinars for mental health professionals to learn more about the common mistakes we make that stall children’s progress in managing anxiety. Be sure to check it out, along with other training opportunities with me!
