Psychologist Dr. Dawn Huebner on Helping Children Who Worry Too Much
I’m very excited to be talking with psychologist, parent coach, and prolific author Dawn Huebner. One of the coolest things about making this podcast is getting to continually connect with people whose work I’ve not only been following for years, but people whose work and books have literally impacted my family in a meaningful way. On top of that, I get to ask them everything I want to know. Hopefully I cover the same things that you would ask if you were sitting in my chair, too.
Today is one of those conversations, as we’ve owned and have been using Dawn’s books like What to Do When Your Temper Flares and What To Do When You Grumble Too Much for many years. Today Dawn and I are talking about her new book on anxiety called Outsmarting Worry: And Older Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety. Dawn has a gift for creating practical, doable, interactive “toolkits” to help feel empowered to take control of their emotional experience and make changes that can make the way they’re moving through life feel so much better. I hope you enjoy our conversation!
About Dr. Dawn Huebner
Dawn Huebner, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist, Parent Coach and popular speaker, specializing in the many faces of childhood anxiety. Dr. Huebner recognized the need for lively, easy-to-read materials to help children practice the strategies they were learning in her office. She created a format effective for 6-12-year-olds – the What to Do Guides for Kids – teaching complex psychological concepts using language and humor easily understood by children. Her newest book, Outsmarting Worry, maintains her distinctive voice while adding a layer of detail and sophistication appreciated by older children and teens.
Dr. Huebner’s books sell briskly around the world, and have been translated into 21 languages. She has been featured on the TODAY Show, CNN.com, WebMD and many other news and information outlets, and is frequently interviewed by popular parenting magazines. Dr. Huebner’s TEDx talk on Rethinking Anxiety has been viewed over 300,000 times.
Things you’ll learn from this episode
- What is “normal” worry for children and how will we know if our child needs help
- How we can help our children shift from being “irrational” with worry to calm
- What does the process of helping a child learn to manage their own worry and anxiety actually look like? What can parents expect?
- How might some parents be inadvertently exacerbating their child’s worry?
- What is one simple skill we can teach our child today to help him or her start to tackle worry?
- How can we help a child who is resistant to taking steps to learn how to manage their anxiety?
- What parents can expert in their journey of supporting their kids
Resources mentioned for Helping Children Who Worry
- Outsmarting Worry: An Older Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner
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