Anxiety Relief for Kids

Quick, in-the-moment skills and strategies you can use right now to help your child overcome anxiety. Now fully revised and updated with new information on perfectionism, social anxiety, and more.

If you have a child who struggles with anxiety, you need fast-acting solutions you can easily use right away to help you and your child face fears and worries and find calm. Written by a psychologist and expert in childhood anxiety, this easy-to-use guide offers proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies and exposure skills—the gold standard treatments for anxiety problems—that you can use at home, in social settings, or anywhere anxiety takes hold.

Anxiety Relief for Kids provides everything you need to help your child overcome anxiety and avoidance. You’ll find a quick overview and explanation of the different types of anxiety disorders—such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). You’ll learn to identify what triggers your child’s anxiety, and understand how the safety behaviors they rely on—including avoidance, excessive reassurance seeking, and checking—actually feed and maintain their anxiety.

In this second edition, you’ll also find a wealth of new information on dealing with perfectionist behaviors, anxiety about natural disasters and global threats, and the role of social media and digital communication in childhood anxiety. No matter your child’s specific fears or worries, you’ll learn how to use the principles of CBT to help your child thrive.

If your child has an anxiety disorder, simple, everyday activities can be a real challenge. The practical solutions in this book will help you deal with your child’s anxiety when it happens, so you can restore balance and order to both your lives.

Author Biography

Bridget Flynn Walker, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and an authority on cognitive behavioral therapy, the evidence-based gold standard of treatment for anxiety and related problems for individuals of all ages. She is the author of Anxiety Relief for Kids: On-the-Spot Strategies to Help Your Child Overcome Worry, Panic and Avoidance (New Harbinger Publications, 2017) and Social Anxiety Relief for Teens: A Step-by-Step CBT Guide to Feel Confident and Comfortable in Any Situation (New Harbinger Publications, 2021). Both books have been selected and honored by review boards and organizations worldwide that support scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Dr. Walker is known for her skill at making CBT clear and accessible to nonprofessionals. She lives in Santa Barbara, California. Visit her at www.drbridgetwalker.com and www.childanxietyscreening.com.

Foreword writer Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, ABPP, is founding partner of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He is author of five books, including OCD and Digging Out.