Creative CBT interventions for children with anxiety

Description: Anxiety disorders represent one of the most prevalent forms of psychopathology among children and this is dramatically on the rise given the current pandemic. As such, many children are referred to therapy to help them cope with anxiety symptoms. The most efficacious treatment for childhood anxiety in the research is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The effectiveness of this approach is enhanced by integrating playful, developmentally appropriate interventions so that children will engage in treatment and learn key skills to manage anxiety.  Children who might otherwise be resistant in therapy are more likely to participate in playful activities designed to cover the CBT components. 

In this webinar, a brief overview of CBT will be presented, along with innovative techniques to assess and treat children with anxiety.  Interventions will address the core treatment components: psychoeducation, somatic management, affective expression, cognitive restructuring, exposure, and relapse prevention.  Therapeutic games, art, stories, and other engaging activities will be presented for use with children aged 4 and up.  

Although the focus of this workshop is on treating children with anxiety, many of the interventions can be adapted for use with other treatment populations. Participants will come away with many new and innovative interventions that they can use immediately in their clinical practice, including online sessions. 

Learning objectives:

• Describe the special challenges of utilizing CBT with children.
• Identify the benefits of integrating playful CBT interventions with children.
• Apply at least two interventions to assess anxiety in children.
• Implement a range of creative CBT interventions to treat anxiety in children including phobia, separation anxiety, perfectionism, and selective mutism.
• Describe methods for motivating children to follow through with their gradual exposure plan.

Click here for more information about this webinar.

Ontario Psychological Association employees, members, associates and affiliates can use discount code OPA15 to receive 15% off all upcoming programs (cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions/discounts).