10-Session Coping Skills Training Package for Children and Tweens
Anxiety and depression affect many children, tweens, and teens. These difficulties are known to affect one in five children and, if untreated, can be detrimental to mental health into adulthood. The good news is early diagnosis and treatment have been shown to make a significant difference in outcomes. In my practice, I have worked with kids for almost two decades and am aware that it can be just as uncomfortable for them to enter therapy for the first time as it is for adults. To ease them into this unknown process (via in-person or Telehealth), I am pleased to offer a 10-Session Coping Skills Training Package for children and tweens. The goal is to provide a safe and structured space for children and tweens to navigate their inner world, make room to discuss difficult topics, educate them about good mental health, and explore healthy coping skills together. By the end of ten weeks, they will walk away with their very own “toolbox”, a kit that equips them to cope with stress, anxiety, sadness, anger, and all kinds of “big feelings”.
What SKILLS will be explored?
Self-soothing: Children will get to explore how to comfort themselves through FIVE senses.
Emotional awareness: Children will gain the tools for identifying and expressing their feelings in a positive and productive manner.
Opposite action: Children will practice doing something that is the opposite of their immediate impulse and get back into a more positive frame of mind.
Distraction: Children will be able to explore different activities to take their minds off the problem and get them back to a place where they can think more clearly.
Mindfulness: Children will learn about the tools for centering and grounding themselves in the present moment as well as developing self-compassion (self-kindness).
Who will benefit from this coping skills training?
I believe that anyone feeling overwhelmed will benefit from this training. Children and tweens who struggle with anxiety, stress, depression, anger issues, social skills issues, lack of self-confidence, and low self-esteem will find these sessions valuable and useful to manage stress and learn to recognize and take care of their big feelings in a healthy way.
*If your child is in crisis or requires more than an outpatient level of care, the coping skills training wouldn’t be a good fit and is not recommended.