This article, "The Safety Dance: Caregivers and the Anxious Child" by Christopher McCurry, explores the dynamics between anxious children and their caregivers. It highlights a case where a 10-year-old boy named Blake exhibits school refusal behaviors, which are compounded by the responses of his parents. The article discusses the transdiagnostic approach to understanding anxiety, focusing on common processes such as avoidance, escape, and control. It emphasizes the role of the parent-child interaction in exacerbating or alleviating anxiety, introducing the concept of the "anxiety dance" where maladaptive patterns of behavior between parents and children need to be restructured. The article underscores the importance of increasing awareness, shifting attention, and taking values-driven actions to break the cycle of anxiety and improve the child's coping mechanisms.

  • Understand the dynamics of school refusal behavior in anxious children.

  • Explore the transdiagnostic approach to anxiety and its benefits over traditional symptom-driven models.

  • Identify common processes such as avoidance/escape and control that exacerbate anxiety in children.

  • Recognize the role of the parent-child interaction in the development and maintenance of childhood anxiety.

  • Learn strategies to increase awareness and shift attention to break maladaptive behavior patterns.

  • Apply values-driven actions to improve coping mechanisms and support anxious children effectively.

Content

    1. The Safety Dance: Caregivers and the Anxious Child by Christopher McCurry

    1. THE NEUROPSYCHOTHERAPIST Issue #18 DOWNLOAD

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