IPS WELLBEING

In this fortnights edition, I thought I would touch on a topic that is becoming increasingly prevalent in our school and communities - childhood anxiety. 

To ensure that we are providing families with the most accurate and up to date information, we have turned to the leading researchers and experts around this topic from the RCH, Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the University of Melbourne to obtain a guide for parents, carers and supporters. 

Below I have provided a small overview of what the guide addresses and an overview of the five steps to supporting your child to manage anxiety. 

The guide is directly informed by the Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline for Anxiety in Children and Young People, V1.1 2024 and can be obtained directly from the link below. Alternatively, I am more than happy to provide a copy to any families wishing to read the full version of the guide.  

https://mentalhealth.melbournechildrens.com/learning-and-resources/anxiety-resources-for-families/ 

What is childhood anxiety?

Feeling anxious is a normal experience for children. For example, it’s common to sometimes worry about new experiences or making friends. However, when anxious feelings stick around, are too intense, or lead to avoiding places or people, it might be called an anxiety disorder. As a family, carer, or supporter, you can play an important role in helping your child manage and navigate anxiety together.

What are the steps in managing anxiety?

STEP1: Identification - Recognising signs of anxiety in your child is the first step towards support. Signs of anxiety can present in many ways, like emotional or behavioral changes.

Your willingness to engage in a conversation about the signs of anxiety is critical to support your child’s mental health.

STEP2: Assessment - Seeking help from a healthcare practitioner can help you and your child understand the causes of these signs and point you to more help. An assessment can include a survey or questionnaire called an assessment tool.

STEP3: Care planning - You, your child, and a practitioner will talk about options for how to manage and treat your child’s anxiety. Caring for your child is a team effort between your child, you, and their support network. Also on this team should be a practitioner you and your child trust. Your child’s team can help to set goals, clear expectations, and encourage healing.

STEP4: Treatment - Using different techniques to help your child’s symptoms, including psychological therapy and medication. Treatment is the management of symptoms over time and is not a quick fix. There are many strategies that are used to treat anxiety. Treatment can be different for every child. What works for one may not work for another.

STEP5: Review and monitoring - Finally, check in to see if everything is on track and make adjustments where needed. You, your child, and their support network can help keep track of negative effects and progress by keeping a symptom diary.

We understand how overwhelming anxiety can feel, not just for the anxious person but also for those supporting them. We know it’s hard, but we also know it can get better with the right information and supports. 

Please reach out if you feel like you or your loved ones are struggling with anxiety, we are always here to support our school community!

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CLASSROOM