Facing Your Fears

Group Therapy for Managing Anxiety in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Author(s): Judy Reaven, Audrey Blakeley-Smith, Shana Nichols, Susan Hepburn,
• Publisher: Brookes Publishing
• Pages: 192
• ISBN_10: 1598571788
  ISBN_13: 9781598571783
  
• Language: en
• Categories: Education / Counseling / General , Education / Special Education / General , Family & Relationships / Children with Special Needs , Medical / Pediatrics , Psychology / Psychotherapy / Child & Adolescent , Psychology / Psychopathology / Autism Spectrum Disorders , Psychology / Psychopathology / Anxieties & Phobias ,

Description:...

Anxiety is one of the biggest challenges faced by children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders and Asperger syndrome. Help them conquer their fears--and participate more fully in home, school, and community life--with this innovative group therapy program for children 8-14 years old and their parents.

Ideal for small groups of 4-5 children but also effective in one-to-one therapy, this proven, ready-to-use program is a must for mental health professionals who work with children and families in clinical settings. Developed to address the specific needs and challenges of children with high-functioning ASD and Asperger syndrome, Facing Your Fears works because it

• targets specific fears or worries that interfere with day-to-day functioning at home and school
• actively involves parents in every session--the key to helping children make progress and ensuring that families provide skillful, sensitive support
• is backed by more than 7 years of funded research, including two clinical trials with positive outcomes
• engages children with memorable, age-appropriate strategies for defeating anxiety, from creating "worry bugs" to filming movies of themselves facing their fears
• gives children repeated opportunities to practice their social interactions with others
• uses the highly effective principles of cognitive behavioral therapy
• helps children and parents generalize the skills they learn in group to other settings

Facing Your Fears includes everything professionals need to run a successful program--a Facilitator's Manual, one Parent Workbook, and one Child Workbook. With the Facilitator's Manual, group leaders will get complete guidance on conducting each session: clear step-by-step instructions, materials lists, goals, sample schedules, and helpful hints for running sessions smoothly.

The Parent Workbooks and Child Workbooks (also sold separately in packs of 4) give children and families a wide variety of creative activities to help them fight fears and worries head-on, both inside and outside the group setting. And the included DVD inspires and motivates kids with sample movies of real children facing their fears.

Essential for every mental health professional working with children with ASD, this innovative program will help families struggling with the burdens of anxiety and increase children's odds for lifelong academic and social success.