Professional development

Support for those working with anxious children with Anxious Kids seminar to tour

Freya Lucas

Jul 03, 2019

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A seminar designed to enable educators and parents to better recognise, manage and minimise the anxiety of children is set to take place across Australia and New Zealand, headed up by author Michael Grose.

Mr Grose, best known as author of 11 titles to support parents and educators, will join wellbeing expert and researcher Dr Jodi Richardson.

The duo will be touring across Australia to present their evidence-based approach to managing children’s anxiety.

Presentations will centre on the tools and strategies for helping children outlined in their book Anxious Kids.

Mr Grose explained the motivation for both the book and the tour, saying “disturbingly, it takes 8.2 years on average between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of an anxiety disorder”.

“For a child experiencing anxiety, that can mean many years of learning difficulties, unhappiness and lost opportunities. We believe this is an unacceptable statistic.”

Parents, educators and other professionals who work with children play a critical role in helping children to recognise and manage their anxious feelings. The seminar has been designed especially for them.

Attendees will learn:

How to know if a child or teenager is experiencing anxiety

The origins of anxiety and how it impacts on children and teens

How to respond constructively when a child or teen is anxious

Tools to teach kids to help regulate their anxiety

The lifestyle factors you can enhance to minimise anxiety

Why avoidance of anxiety-inducing events is not the answer and what to do instead

How to create a wellbeing plan for a child or young person.

Mr Grose, who provides a range of support and strategies through the website Parenting Ideas, supports education and care settings around the country, and internationally, to build strong community partnerships.

Dr Richardson is an anxiety expert, with more than 25 years of experience in the field of health, wellbeing, clinical practice, elite sport and education.

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