​

Hello Reader!

In October the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that all kids 8 to 18 years old be screened for child anxiety, which is great. More screening is great! But it does nothing -- absolutely NOTHING -- to address the lack of services. So when I read this I was thrilled and then I was annoyed and then I got a little angry.

Therapists are FULL. They are so full! And if they see kids -- especially younger kids -- the waitlists are so long that some of them stop having waitlists! PLUS it is so much more effective to work with parents! You know all this but docs don't know -- heck, lots of therapists don't know!

Which made me decide to absolutely double-down on my program. I want to devote more time to it and to getting the word out about it. With that conviction I've decided to not take on any new therapy clients if/when spots open up for the first half of the year so that I can devote more time to Child Anxiety Support.

Child Anxiety Support gets effective treatment out to more families at a lower cost; it's like a parenting class and a support group all rolled up into one. Plus people actually get more access to individualized support than they would in either a class or group because they can message me at any time and I'll respond within 24 hours (usually it's a much shorter time but I like to build in some leeway there). That doesn't happen in a traditional group -- people have to wait for the next meeting or next appointment to roll around. And the cost is around $27/week if the person signs on monthly, which is way cheaper than an in-person class or group.

I love this program. I love this work. And I realized that I have to fully commit to it, which is kinda scary. Thing is, it's all well and good to tell people to start screening kids for anxiety but unless there's someplace to send those families once they're screened, well, it's not really a help, is it?

So that's my 2023 resolution. Onward!

In the site

• Two recordings for last week's lives! First catch Eve's latest Stress Reset where she invites you to explore "pendulation," "a great tool for finding nuance in our experiences of the moment." And an overview of Chapter 3 of Parent-Led CBT, which is all about talking parents into the program. One point they made, which I definitely see when people reach out to ask about joining is that given that anxiety takes a negative view, some parents may hesitate to start an anti-anxiety program because their own anxiety makes them pessimistic about anxiety intervention. When this comes up I think it's an opportunity to appreciate why our kids get discouraged; our discouragement can help us recognize why it can be so hard to get our kids on board, too.
• We will be meeting Tuesday at noon for the next chapter, which is Promoting Independence in Day to Day Life. Remember, we're not DOING the CBT program; we're just using the program to help inform our work in Strong Kids, Strong Families. Also remember that you are welcome to come to the Live Events with me and post any questions you have in the chat no matter where you are in the program. (The Monthly Topics are held inside the site -- not on Zoom -- so anything you post in the chat is not recorded, only my camera get posted later.)

Links for the week

• I know lots of people who learn better by reading with their ears than with their eyes. Audioread is an app that lets you turn anything into a recording you can listen to in your podcast app. It works as a chrome extension, iOS app, or Android app. You can also just listen in your browser. It does cost money but you can try it for free. Super useful for busy college students so maybe a gift for your favorite distracted student?
• Did you break something and need to glue it? But you're not sure which glue to use to, say, attach leather to plastic? This to That will help you address all of your sticky repair needs.
• There's a lot of waste to those little bars of hotel soap but here's a man who wants to change all that.
  ​

See you in the site!

P.S. Not yet a member? Want to grab a time to talk to me and ask about the program? Here's my scheduling calendar!