HEY WARRIOR!

Anxiety explained. Kids empowered!

Anxiety is a very normal human response but for as many as 1 in 5 young people, the symptoms become so intrusive, they significantly interfere with day to day living. The effects can steal into families, classrooms and friendships. They can undermine the way children see themselves and shrink their world – but it doesn’t have to be this way. Anxiety is very manageable when it is recognised and properly managed. With the right support children can be empowered with the skills and knowledge to manage anxiety and move forward with courage and resilience. 

This dynamic workshop will help participants to recognise anxiety disorders in children and adolescents (5 - 18yr olds). It will delve into the obvious and not so obvious signs of anxiety, discuss where they come from and why they exist, and offer a range of practical, powerful interventions to assist participants to respond effectively within their own professional context. 

Key content areas Karen will discuss include:

• An overview of the most common anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence.
• Recognising symptoms which suggest anxiety, and differentiating anxiety from other problems with similar symptoms.
• Understanding the impact of anxiety on: 
  • Peer and family relationships.
  • School performance, functioning and attendance.
  • The potency of co-existing concerns such as depression and self-harm.
• Working with anxiety in a therapeutic setting including:
• Building a therapeutic rapport with children and teens with anxiety.
• What all children and teens need to know about anxiety, and how to support them in using this information to manage anxiety and build strength, courage and resilience. 
• Why anxiety can happen without an identifiable trigger.
• Therapeutic interventions to help young people manage intrusive symptoms and difficult behaviours when anxiety is the fuel.
• Practical, proven strategies to strengthen children and teens against anxiety in the short and long term.
• Pushing back against the negative- building self-confidence, resilience and self-concept  with young people with anxiety.
• Understanding the ways loving parents might inadvertently feed anxiety and undermine resilience, and how to work with this in a therapeutic setting.

Presented by: Karen Young founded the popular website, Hey Sigmund, attracting millions of readers each year worldwide and is author of the best selling, "Hey Warrior" book for young people with anxiety. She is a regular contributor to Parenting Magazine in New Zealand, and can often be heard on Australian radio and TV programs such as The Project and the ABC. Her articles have been translated into a numerous languages and her work has been published internationally on The Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, The Mighty, and Yahoo Health. She is a sought-after international speaker selling out events from New York to Newcastle. She has authored four books including, "Dear You Love from Your Brain" and her latest "Ups and Downs", which helps children discover more about their brain.  

Audience: for mental health and education professionals at all levels & any professional that applies attachment theory and behavioural/developmental/neuro-science to their practice.

Mental Health Professionals: All mental health professionals including, but not limited to Clinical Counsellors, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Hospice and Palliative Care Workers, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Addiction Specialists, Marital & Family Therapists, Child Protection and Disability Workers, Guidance Officers, Speech and Language Therapists, Residential Care Workers and Foster Support Workers, Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants, General Practitioners, and all other mental health professionals looking to enhance their therapeutic skills.  

Education Professionals: Professionals who work with children or youth including, but not limited to K–12 Teachers, Principals, School Counsellors, School Paraprofessionals and all other professionals who support behavioural challenges and complex learning needs.