Helping Your Child with Fears and Worries

This intervention is designed to help parent/carers explore ways of supporting their child who is experiencing fears or worries. If you have noticed your child avoiding, worrying, or seeking reassurance about certain situations, objects or places this intervention may be for you. This may have been a recent change or an ongoing difficulty.

We will work together and guide you to understand and implement strategies to support your child with their fears and worries. The skills learnt are transferrable and applicable to future challenges.

• Research shows that working with parents/carers is just as effective as working with the child.
• The same positive outcomes can be seen in fewer sessions.
• Parents/carers know their children best and are best placed to implement changes
• Parents/carers are more motivated than children to make changes as they are more likely to focus on long-term gain
• Families tell us they want to be able to manage their child’s difficulties within the family and the child does not want to be made to feel ‘different’
• Parents/carers are more likely to be able to remember and implement strategies in the future.

This intervention is most effective with parents/carers of children between the ages of 4 and 11 years old.

What we will cover:

• Personalised goals
• How do fears and worries develop
• What keeps fears and worries going
• Promoting independence
• Rewards
• Step by step plan
• Problem solving
• Review progress
  
  

You will attend an initial assessment where we will explore your child’s current difficulties, your child may also be invited to attend with you. If this intervention is appropriate, we will typically offer 6 - 8 sessions which are attended by parent/carer only. Each session lasts for 1 hour and can be either face-to-face at your child’s school or online.

You will need access to the following resource, which will guide you through sessions: “Helping Your Child with Fears and Worries 2nd Edition: a self-help guide for parents/carers” by Cathy Creswell & Lucy Willetts. This can also be accessed as an audiobook.
If purchasing or accessing the book is a worry, please let your practitioner know.
You will need to be committed to attending regular appointments, reading outside of sessions, and completing activities with your child.

If you wish to access support, please speak to your school or college’s Designated Mental Health Lead (DMHL) or another trusted staff member. The DMHL can then make a referral to our service or signpost you to appropriate support.

Speak to the Designated Mental Health Lead (DMHL) at your school/college who can refer you to our service.
Or  download the information leaflet, fill in your details on the final page and hand this to a trusted member of staff who will pass this onto the DMHL..
The Mental Health Support Team is not an emergency service and is unable to provide urgent or crisis care. If a child or young person is in crisis, you should:

• Call Freephone 0800 6444 101 (Single Point of Access (SPA) 24/7 Mental Health Helpline)
• NHS 111 and select option 2 for mental health service
• If you/they are seriously ill or injured, dial 999 for the emergency services or attend A&E