The Worry Workbook for Kids ― Helping Children to Overcome Anxiety and the Fear of Uncertainty

Bring fun and adventure back into your child’s life. In The Worry Workbook for Kids, two respected psychologists offer fun, action-based activities grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help your child move past fears of uncertainty, set and accomplish goals, and—most importantly—enjoy being a kid.

Today’s kids face intense pressures at school, with friends, and in life. But one of the most prevalent causes of worry in children is the fear of the unknown. Whether they are starting at a new school, trying out for a new sport, or going to a sleepover—for many kids who worry, it can be difficult moving from “What if?” to "Why not?" and trying new things. Sound familiar?

Written for children ages seven to twelve, this engaging workbook offers evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) tools to help kids embrace uncertainty and actually change their thoughts and behaviors by taking action—which will help bring adventure, fun, and freedom back into their lives! The practices in this workbook can be used anytime, anyplace, to help kids put a stop to worry before worry takes over.

Childhood is a precious time that goes by so quickly, and chronic worrying can take a hefty toll both mentally and physically. Teaching kids how to deal with stress early will set them up for a lifetime of happiness and success. This workbook can help you do just that.

Muniya S. Khanna, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Children’s and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety. Khanna has served as assistant professor of psychiatry and codirector of the Child and Adolescent OCD, Tic, Trich, and Anxiety Group in the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. She has been involved in some of the most important research in the field of child anxiety in the last 15 years. She is author of numerous research articles and chapters, and coauthor with Philip Kendall of The C.A.T. Project, a therapist manual for the treatment of anxious adolescents. She is active on the boards of the American Psychological Association, ABCT and ADAA, as well as national and international scientific review boards. She is currently associate editor of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice and is an adhoc editor of multiple top tier journals.

Deborah Roth Ledley, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Children’s and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety. Ledley received her PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto in 1999 and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple at Temple University. She then spent several years on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Since 2006, Ledley has been in private practice in the suburbs of Philadelphia where she primarily works with children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety disorders. She has published over fifty scientific papers and book chapters, as well as four academic books, including Making Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Work and Becoming a Calm Mom. Ledley has been quoted in magazines such as Parents, Fit Pregnancy, Family Fun, and Countdown, as well as on several websites including Forbes.com, CNN.com and iParentingLife.com.

Foreword writer Tamar Chansky, PhD, is a psychologist and author of several popular books, including Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking, Freeing Your Child from Anxiety, and Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Chansky is passionate about helping kids, parents, and other adults pursue the lives that they want to lead, free from the obstacles of anxiety, pessimism, and OCD. Visit her website at www.tamarchansky.com.