Dr. Penela's Blog: Anxiety and OCD Coping Tools

Tools to Cope with Back to School Anxiety

1/3/2024

The holidays can be so much fun for kids- they get to spend time with you, see extended family, play with new toys, bake cookies, and watch holiday movie faves! As a parent, it feels GREAT to know that your children are enjoying that special space you made for them.

Child lays and worries in bed. As children prepare to return to school after an extended break, it's normal to feel sadness and anxiety.

But as the return to school looms ahead, it can bring up feelings of anxiety or dread for kids and teens. Watching your children struggle as they think about going back to school can be so hard.

You can't magically erase your children’s worries (if only!), but you can give them coping tools to help ease their back-to-school anxiety.

CBT Tool to Help Your Child Cope with Anxiety: Socratic Questioning

10/19/2023

If your child or teen is feeling worried, it’s SO tempting to immediately GIVE them information that will help them feel better! But if your child is a chronic worrier who often gets stuck, this doesn't usually help much over the long run. Instead of explaining all the reasons why they shouldn't feel nervous… what if you could help your child come up with the information themselves?

How can we do this? The key is in using Socratic Questioning! Check out this blog post to learn how to use this important CBT tool to help your child or teen cope with anxiety.