Anxiety Treatment Tools

Educate clients about deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and imagery using the Relaxation Techniques info sheet. This printout includes a brief description of the fight-or-flight response and step-by-step instructions on how to use each relaxation technique. We suggest practicing each of these techniques in session and providing this handout as a take-home reminder of the skills your client has learned...

Prompt children to begin a discussion about anxiety and fear using the My Fears anxiety worksheet. This worksheet will give your clients an opportunity to discuss the feelings of fear and anxiety, why they are important, and how they can be harmful. Children are asked to list their fears, describe their thoughts about the anxiety, identify where in their body they sense the feeling, and finally to create a plan for dealing with fear in the future...

Mindfulness refers to a state of being in the here and now—quieting the mind and just being present. When we aren't mindful, it's easy to hole up in our own minds, thinking about all the little tasks and stressors that are waiting for us. We've written about how mindfulness benefits adults, but what about children? Teaching children about mindfulness can result in some big benefits related to attention, mood, and socially appropriate behavior....

In school-aged children, the loudest often garner the most attention. Symptoms like anger are obvious, while internalized symptoms such worry and depression go unnoticed. This worksheet is intended to help the quiet worriers learn to understand and talk about their challenges. Use this worksheet to educate children and young adolescents about worry, help them become more aware of their own worries, and learn about physical symptoms of worry...

Panic attacks can be terrifying, especially for those who don't know what to expect. The discomfort brought on by panic is so intense that it's often confused for a heart attack, or another dangerous event. However, in reality, panic attacks pose little physical risk. Psychoeducation is an essential part of treatment for those suffering from panic attacks...

Social anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders, with an estimated 6.8% annual prevalence among adults (NIMH). Its impact on a person's life can be far reaching. It's not uncommon for a person with social anxiety to shape their life decisions around their fears, while making major sacrifices in the process...

Follow along as Mouse learns about anxiety in a colorfully illustrated story.

Learn and practice deep breathing with professionally recorded audio.

Anxiety is a mental and physical reaction to perceived threats. In small doses, anxiety is helpful. It protects us from danger, and focuses our attention on problems. But when anxiety is too severe, or occurs too frequently, it can become debilitating. Psychoeducation is an important early step in the treatment of anxiety disorders...

When the uncomfortable symptoms of anxiety feel like too much, one of the simplest ways to feel better is avoidance. This means avoiding the source of anxiety, or numbing the uncomfortable feelings. The good news is, avoidance works... for a little bit. The bad news is, the relief that avoidance brings is temporary, and the anxiety tends to come back worse than before...