Helping Your Child Overcome Separation Anxiety Or School Refusal – By EISEN A

If he expects to feel sick to his stomach in the morning while he’s get- ting ready for school, he may feel less scared when he first notices the feelings. Your child also needs to learn to tell himself that the physical feelings are just part of the way that he experiences his anxiety. And finally, your child needs to understand that his physical feelings are not a result of real physical illness. Over time, he will be able to recognize that he feels nauseated in the morning because he is anxious about going to school.

Once he accomplishes that, he will be less likely to worry about getting ill in school. Let’s look at the following example, where Janice helps Debbie make the connection between her physical feelings and separation anxiety. Janice: | Debbie, go ahead and finish your homework here at the kitchen table.

I’ll be right back. Debbie: [Scared expression.] Janice: 1 have to put the laundry in the dryer. Debbie: [Stands up, holds her stomach, then grabs Janice’s hand. | Janice: | Are you scared? Debbie: [Nods.] Janice: | How come? Debbie: My tummy … [Holds her stomach.] Janice: Please sit down. Helping Your Child Overcome Separation Anxiety or School Refusal Debbie: Janice: Debbie: Janice: Debbie: Janice: Debbie: Janice: Debbie: Janice: Debbie: [Cries] I can’t …

Do you often get stomachaches when I have to leave you? Uh huh. Is it okay to have a stomachache if you’re scared? I guess. Does having a stomachache mean that anything bad will happen to you? No? Did you need me to sit with you to do your homework? I guess not. Will you let me go down to the laundry room by myself next time?

Ill try [smiles weakly]. Step 2: Tolerating Physical Feelings In Lesson 1 (Step 2), the idea was to help your child tolerate his automatic thoughts. Similarly, in this step, we want your child to accept his physical feelings rather than avoid them. In many cases, the thoughts and physical feelings are naturally connected.

This was certainly true for Peter. Simply thinking about eating breakfast before school triggered his fear of getting sick. In the following example, Peter’s mother, Mary, encourages him to do just that. Mary: Peter: Peter, could you eat something for breakfast before school? [Looks surprised] I don’t know … Empowering Your Child with Coping Skills 8] Mary: — How about half a bagel? Peter: But …

Help your child learn to: ¢ Sleep alone in his or her own room ¢ Ease fears of being harmed or abandoned e Participate in social activities eo Anxiety or Yel ateye)| Refusal ANDREW R. EISEN, PH.D, – LINDA B. ENGLER, (il Fisen and Engler have written an outstanding guide for parents of children who suffer from separation anxiety or school refusal.

This well-written book is the first of its type, describing practical, step-by-step strategies similar to those that have been studied extensively in anxiety research centers around the world. In addition to being a valuable resource for parents, this book will be very use- ful to teachers and mental health practitioners who work with anxious children. —Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., ABPP, director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, both in Hamilton, ON Separation anxiety can derail a child’s normal development at any age.

Moreover, it can make life miserable for that child’s parents and family—not only the child. This book helps parents navigate the murky waters of separ- ation anxiety by giving them a roadmap and a set of proven and effective strategies to help them deal with it and, yes, even to prevent it.

In the hands of caring and motivated parents, it is a veritable tour de force. It is a well written, engaging, and eminently practical book. Parents (and their separa- tion anxious children) will be thanking Eisen and Engler for years to come for their sage and helpful advice. —Thomas H. Ollendick, Ph.D., university distinguished professor and director of the Child Study Center in the Department of Psychology at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA Eisen and Engler provide straightforward advice for parents of a child who is afraid of separation or afraid of school.

Separation anxiety is a typical step in development for most children, but when it is interfering and present in older youngsters, then it merits attention. This step-by-step approach for parents, potentially used in conjunction with a therapist, offers sound advice and guid- ance that is consistent with the research evidence. The book is well-informed, organized, readable, and rich with examples.

—Philip C. Kendall, Ph.D., ABPP, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology and Director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Temple . University in Philadelphia, PA A highly user-friendly guide to help parents understand how to help children cope more effectively with separation anxiety and school refusal. Eisen and Engler are true leaders in the field of child anxiety. Their use of real life case illustrations really brings these evidence based skills home to parents and children.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: a4644c9fd7e940eb
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 8,851,326 bytes (8.441 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781572244313, 1572244313
• Pages: 213
• Language: English (en)

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• Estimated Reading Time: 233.93 minutes
• Total Words: 46,786
• Total Characters: 288,539
• Average Words per Page: 219.65
• Average Characters per Page: 1354.64

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