Paul Foxman, Ph.D., instructor

Anxiety disorders are now recognized as the most common emotional disorder in the U.S. as well as in 10 out of 17 countries recently surveyed by the World Health Organization. The soaring trend towards anxiety has been accelerated by global stress and high-profile threats, such as terrorism, school violence, child kidnappings, and other dangers. The increasing rate of traumas to children, which also include divorce, family breakdown, violence in the media, and a failing school system, has produced a “shell shocked” generation suffering from anxiety in many cases. Our challenge is to recognize anxiety in children and help them cope.

In this workshop participants will grasp how anxiety develops in children and adolescents, and acquire practical treatment strategies that can be applied immediately in their professional work. Seven key anxiety disorders will be addressed: separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, overanxious disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Emphasis will be on integrative psychotherapeutic interventions involving insight-oriented, cognitive-behavioral, mind-body, solution-oriented and family systems approaches.

Upon completion of the program the student will be able to:

·         Use the “Three Ingredients” blueprint to explain how, why and when anxiety develops in children

·         Specify the role of family, schools, media, and global events in contributing to anxiety in children

·         Diagnose seven key anxiety disorders in children

·         Teach anxiety management skills to children and adolescents

·         Implement therapy approaches for specific child/adolescent anxiety disorders

·         Make recommendations to parents and schools to help reduce anxiety in children

Program Code: AD60 
6 CE Credits
Location: at MSPP, Newton

Paul Foxman, Ph.D., has led hundreds of top rated workshops in the U.S. and internationally, and he has appeared on television and radio as an expert on the topic of anxiety. His books include Dancing with Fear (2007) and The Worried Child (2004), as well as a co-authored casebook, Conquering Panic and Anxiety Disorders (2003). Dr. Foxman is known for his knowledge and clarity, sense of humor, compassion, and engaging speaking style. Dr. Foxman is a clinical psychologist as well as Founder and Director of the Center for Anxiety Disorders in Vermont. In 1985 he co-founded the Lake Champlain Waldorf School, now flourishing from kindergarten through high school. Dr. Foxman has over 30 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings including hospitals, graduate programs in psychology, community mental health centers, schools, and private practice. His education includes Peabody College of Vanderbilt University (Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology), and training at the Department of Psychiatry of Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, the Kennedy Child Study Center in Nashville, and the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute.