The Anxiety Busting Workbook for Kids - by Debra Kissen & Meena Dugatkin & Grace Cusack (Paperback)

About the Book

Children face a number of anxiety-inducing challenges every day--from school to extracurricular activities to making friends. The good news is that kids can also learn to turn their overly anxious thoughts into curiosity, determination, and bravery. Built on the solid foundations of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)--yet cleverly disguised as fun, kid-focused games and activities--this workbook is designed to help children ages 5 to 9 discover the not-so-scary world around them, and channel all that energy away from fear and worry--and toward courage and confidence.

Book Synopsis

With this engaging workbook, kids will be so busy having fun, they won't even realize they're learning lifelong skills to manage anxiety and worry!

If your child struggles with anxiety, rest assured that you aren't alone. Children face a number of anxiety-inducing challenges--from school to extracurricular activities to making friends. The good news is that kids can learn to turn their overly anxious thoughts into curiosity, determination, and bravery. Using kid-friendly skills based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this book is designed to help children ages 5 to 9 obtain the building blocks needed to manage anxiety and worry throughout their lives.

This engaging workbook is grounded in evidence-based psychology--but your kid will never know it, because it's also packed with fun! 25 games and activities will help them realize just how capable, strong, and brave they really are. Each chapter includes a kid-friendly introduction, then jumps into kid-approved silliness such as going on a Fear-Busting Scavenger Hunt, or visiting the I-Scream Shop. The culmination of all their amazing work includes a visit to the Celebration Station, and yes, there will be prizes!

Your child is awesome, and they have the power to feel awesome, too. Give them the help they need wrapped up in the fun they love, and soon they'll know that not only are their fears not as big and scary as they think, but also that they are brave and strong, and able to tackle life's inevitable challenges with confidence.

In these increasingly challenging times, kids and teens need mental health resources more than ever. With more than 3 million copies sold worldwide and translated into 260 languages, Instant Help Books are easy to use, proven-effective, and recommended by therapists.

Review Quotes

"The Anxiety Busting Workbook for Kids is a fabulous cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) workbook for kids with anxiety. It's engaging and jam-packed with evidence-based strategies to help kids overcome fears--and delivered in a fun, creative, and adorable format. This will be a fast favorite!"
--Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPP, senior director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Program at Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants--Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPP

"The Anxiety Busting Workbook for Kids is such a treasure! Step by step, this workbook takes parents and kids through the process of understanding anxiety and how to respond so that kids can get back to enjoying their lives without fearing anxiety. The creative activities help children learn evidence-based practices while having fun and earning rewards. Any child would benefit from learning these skills."
--Kimberly Morrow, LCSW, anxiety therapist, co-owner of Anxiety Training, and author of Face It and Feel It--Kimberly Morrow, LCSW

"The Anxiety Busting Workbook for Kids provides an incredibly creative approach for helping kids learn to identify and overcome their fears. It does a wonderful job of incorporating complex CBT strategies in a very user-friendly manner for children. I would highly recommend this book for children with anxiety."
--Brian J. Schmaus, clinical psychologist at the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago in Deerfield, IL--Brian J. Schmaus

"Share this engaging book with an anxious child and give them the life-changing gift of freedom from anxiety."
--Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, LCSW-C, therapist, author of The Anxiety Cure for Kids, and cofounder of Anxiety Training--Elizabeth DuPont Spencer, LCSW-C

"The book is such a fun and engaging way to help your child learn the life-changing principles of overcoming anxiety, that even the most scared kid will find it engaging. Elementary-aged children will discover easy, relatable ways to understand, challenge, and master their fears using the very best strategies science has to offer. It is sure to become a favorite amongst parents and therapists!"
--Karen Lynn Cassiday, PhD, past president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America; owner of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago; and author of books helping parents, children, and adults overcome anxiety--Karen Lynn Cassiday, PhD

"This book is a great resource for the clinician working with anxious children or tweens! Using a combination of engaging graphics and storytelling, these authors guide the youth through understanding, engaging, and taming their anxieties, fears, and worries. Whether it's used in an individual, group, or family setting, this book will help clinicians help kids and those who love them deal with anxiety."
--Tony L. Sheppard, PsyD, CGP, ABPP, AGPA-F, founder and director of Groupworks Psychological Services, and coauthor of Group Psychotherapy with Children--Tony L. Sheppard, PsyD, CGP, ABPP, AGPA-F

About the Author

Debra Kissen, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, and CEO of the Light On Anxiety Treatment Centers. She is author of several books on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-focused management of anxiety, worry, panic, and fear, including The Panic Workbook for Teens, Rewire Your Anxious Brain for Teens, and Break Free from Intrusive Thoughts.

Meena Dugatkin, PsyD, is a licensed clinical child psychologist at Light On Anxiety Treatment Centers. She specializes in evidence-based CBT and exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatments to help children and teens struggling with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Grace Cusack, LPC, works with families and clients of all ages at Light On Anxiety Treatment Centers, has advanced training in ERP and CBT, and helps her clients develop symptom awareness and coping strategies for anxiety, OCD, and other related disorders.

Foreword writer Eli R. Lebowitz, PhD, is a child and adolescent psychologist, and director of the Child Study Center's Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at Yale School of Medicine.