Working with Worry by Melissa L. Kilbride and Samantha C. Sweeney

I usually write about children's books and activities on this blog, but every once in a while I find a resource that parents should know about.  I recently learned about Working with Worry: A Workbook for Parents on How to Support Anxious Children by Melissa L. Kilbride and Samantha C. Sweeney and wanted to share it with you.  Working with Worry is a tremendous workbook written for parents whose school-age children... preschool to high school... are grappling with anxiety and worry.  It's packed full of resources, activities, and strategies that can be implemented easily.  Keep reading to learn more about Working with Worry to see it's something you'd like to read!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Author Summary

Working with Worry is designed to give parents practical tools they can use to support their children as they try to manage their anxiety in today's increasingly stressful world. It is a hands-on workbook that you can turn to for easy-to-understand information, recommendations, and support.  Parents will learn about what anxiety looks like in children, reflect on their own experiences with anxiety, and find a wealth of intervention activities to try with their children. The activities use proven techniques including mindfulness, creativity, and self-regulation, and are organized by type of intervention, age, and areas of interest.

🍎 Title: Working with Worry: A Workbook for Parents on How to Support Anxious Children

🍎 Authors: Melissa L. Kilbride and Samantha C. Sweeney
🍎 Publisher: Bull Publishing Company
🍎 Date: March 2, 2021
🍎 Pages: 216

About Working with Worry

Working with Worry is a workbook written for parents.  However, ANYBODY who spends time with children... teachers, grandparents, childcare workers, babysitters, etc... can learn something from reading it.  There are five chapters in Working with Worry that include worksheets, questionnaires, charts, resources, and activities.

Chapter One

• Anxiety: The Basics
• What is anxiety?
• Symptoms of anxiety
• Diagnosing anxiety
• Should I be worried if my child shows signs of anxiety?

Chapter Two

• Parent Prep: Help Yourself to Help Your Child
• Nine activities about self-reflection, learning about anxiety body clues, how to talk things out with your children, problem-solving, and KYST
• Finding support for your anxiety

Chapter Three

• Interventions: Strategies and Coping for Your Child
• 48 activities about self-reflection, intervention exercises, mindfulness, self-regulation, and creativity

Chapter Four

• Maintenance: Maintaining and Gaining
• Six activities about recognizing triggers and symptoms, using coping skills, and activities the family can do together

Chapter Five

• Resources
• 12 pages of resources for children's books, apps, and websites

Worry vs. Anxiety

In the first chapter of Working with Worry, we learn about the differences between anxiety and worry.  Children with anxiety can have a variety of physical and emotional symptoms.  The most common symptoms include the following:

• feelings of tension
• worried thoughts
• recurring thoughts
• increased heart rate
• rapid breathing
• body tension
• sweating
• trembling
• dizziness

The authors describe worry as:

• a symptom of anxiety
• repetitive thoughts... 'I can't get this out of my mind'
• fixating on something bad happening

Important Note: If your child is showing signs of anxiety and worry, keep an eye on the symptoms and call a professional when necessary.  The following charts will help you determine if and when a call is needed.

Sample Activity

There are 50+ activities for parents and children in Working with Worry.  One of my favorite activities in the book is the Worry Jar.  A worry jar helps children express the worries through writing.  After they write about their feelings, they put their worries in a jar and put a lid on the jar so they don't have to think about those worries right away.  It's a powerful and symbolic gesture that helps children take the edge off of their feelings for a little while.

Example of a worry jar, made by my niece.

Made from a recycled glass jar and washi tape.

To learn more about Working with Worry, please visit Melissa Kilbride's website https://www.mlktherapy.com/publications or Samantha Sweeney's website www.culturallycompetentkids.com.

Did you enjoy reading about Working with Worry and the Worry Jar craft? If so, check out these blog posts about more strategies to help children with their emotions:

• Pro Tip: Recognizing Anxiety in Children
• Book: Right Now, I Am Fine by Dr. Daniela Owen
• Pro Tip + Craft: Mindfulness and Sensory Bottles in the Classroom
• Book List: 10+ Children's Books About Mindfulness
• Pro Tip: Managing Test Anxiety