Parenting Anxious and Sensitive Children

Thanks to funding from the City of Kingston this workshop is being offered free to anyone who works, lives or cares for a child who goes to school in the City of Kingston

Brief summary of program purpose
Do you have a child who worries about the simplest of things? Do they get upset easily? Do they seem to have empathy beyond their young years? Are they constantly asking questions, exposing their exquisite attention to detail? Perhaps they want all the tags cut off from their t-shirts. Or to sit quietly in the corner rather than engage with the group. Maybe someone has even labelled them as "highly emotional" or "shy". Chances are you have a sensitive child. And you are not alone. Parenting an anxious or sensitive child is an immense responsibility.

The Parenting Anxious and Sensitive Children workshop aim to increase your capacity to support your child affected by anxiety, worry or stress. Over three weekly sessions, you will be guided through this solutions-based program and supported to address individual concerns effectively

Topics include:
- What is anxiety? How prevalent is it? How does it differ from worry? How does it fit into the context of “normal” child development?
- Understanding sensory sensitivity and its relationship with anxiety
- Recognising the signs and symptoms of anxiety and vulnerable mental health
- Brain development, the fear response and age-appropriate behaviour
- Strategies you can implement every day that will make regular situations calmer and less emotional for everyone involved including:
- Focusing & Grounding exercises
- Body mapping, Testing worries, Name it to tame it
- Connecting thoughts, feelings, behaviour and body sensations
- Identifying and developing coping skills and building resilience
- The role of communication, compassion and ‘sensitive parenting skills’
- Helping children out of their Comfort Zone and into their Courage Zone

What you will learn:
- A greater understanding of anxiety and how it differs from worry
- Some insight about how parental attitudes and behaviours impact on the development of child anxiety
- Increased confidence in sharing your parenting concerns
- The transformation of misunderstanding, exasperation and doubt into certainty, optimism and strength.
- Clear and evidence-based information about parenting strategies that work to address and minimise anxiety in children
- Strengthened understanding of how to embrace sensitivity and angst as a strength
- Guidance and advice for feeling more competent and confident in responding to your child’s needs as well as tips for looking after your own
- A tailored solutions-based framework that will address the particular concerns in your unique situation
Increased clarity about how different professionals can help if symptoms worsen

Best suited to:
Parents and carers of children aged 4 to 15 years. Parents are encouraged to attend as a couple if they co-parent.

When:
The workshop is delivered over three weeks in two hour sessions.

Where:
During COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria, this workshop is being delivered using a secure, online platform that participants can access from anywhere in Australia.

Cost:
Thanks to funding from the City of Kingston this workshop is free for anyone living, working or with a child attending school in the City of Kingston.

Limited spaces are available. A maximum number of participants is 20.

Acceptance into this program is subject to minimum enrolment numbers being achieved and/or maximum numbers being reached. Heartlinks reserves the right to discontinue service should the facilitator deem a participant to be better suited to an alternative form of support.