Monday, March 31, 2014

Anxiety, Stress, and Worry

I use a lot of CBT when I am working with students with many worries.  I used to draw a sketch (usually on an individual white board) showing how worry (repetitive circular thinking), anxiety (feeling of dread), and stress (our bodies response)/behavior are interconnected. Now I just made this mini chart and laminated to save time. I think it is very helpful for students to understand what is happening before we teach them how they might reduce worry, anxiety, and stress.  I typically start with cognitive strategies to address the upsetting images and irrational thoughts, but that is based on the needs of the individual student.