How Social Work Can Help My Child’s Anxiety

Fears, uneasiness, and worries are typical emotions for children. When the fear or worries become so big that they impact day-to-day functioning and interfere with home-life, play activities, school, and social relationships- this could be an indicator of an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety diagnoses can manifest in many shapes and forms and contain many subcategories underneath that umbrella. For example: generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, selective mutism, and panic attacks. Each diagnosis depends on what a child is struggling with the most and many of these symptoms can overlap. Below are several common signs listed below of childhood anxiety.

Common Signs of Childhood Anxiety

●   Sleeping troubles and bad dreams
●   Stomachaches, headaches, and other physical pains
●   Avoidance of places and / or situations
●   Excessive worry or negative thoughts
●   Clinginess
●   Feeling tense, restless, and fidgety
●   Trouble concentrating
●   Irritability, quick to anger
●   Seeking constant reassurance
●   Low self esteem/self-conscious tendencies
●   Tantrums

 

 

 

 

How Do Social Workers Treat Anxiety?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common model used to treat multiple types of anxieties. CBT focuses on how thoughts and emotions affect behavior. CBT is designed to help individuals recognize unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and learn how to change them. While CBT isn’t designed to “cure” anxiety, it can be used to alleviate symptoms and compliment other interventions such as medication in more severe cases.

This therapy can help children identify negative thought patterns and distorted thinking, and learn how to reframe their thoughts into a more neutral/positive perspective. When a new perspective is discovered, it opens the door for the child to learn new ways of responding to stressful situations.

Different Techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Include:

● Play-based techniques
● Art-based techniques
● Trauma focused
● Modeling
● Restructuring
● Exposure

 

 

 

 

If you feel that your child struggles with one or more of the signs of anxiety, talking with a pediatric Social Worker at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center can help! Call today at 773-687-9241 to schedule with one of our specialists!