Teens often try to avoid the things that make them anxious; but avoidance can actually make anxiety worse, and get in the way of reaching goals and living full lives. Written by three experts in teen mental health, this powerful workbook offers proven-effective activities grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help teens cope with anxiety, build resilience, discover what really matters to them, and lead fuller, more flexible lives.
Move past anxiety and discover what really matters to you. Written by three experts in teen mental health, this powerful workbook offers evidence-based activities grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you cope with anxiety, build resilience, stop avoiding the things you fear, and lead a fuller, happier life.
Anxiety is what we feel when we’re scared about some future event that may or may not happen. When you’re struggling with anxiety your mind is trying to protect you from danger, so it’s busy telling you about all the things you can’t do. Along with these thoughts come a host of feelings and bodily sensations—such as sweaty palms, restlessness, lightheadedness, and stomach aches. But it’s not the anxious thoughts that make anxiety a problem. It’s the actions we take, or don’t take, as a result of these thoughts.
In The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Teen Anxiety, you’ll find helpful alternatives to the ineffective strategies and habits you’re currently using to deal with anxiety, such as avoidance. You’ll find basic information about anxiety to help you recognize what it looks and feels like, mindfulness tips to help you stay in the moment when you feel worried about the future, and tips to help you connect with your own values so you can start putting the important things in life first.
| Foreword |
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vii | |
| Note to Readers |
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ix | |
| Note to Parents |
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xii | |
| Note to Clinicians |
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xiii | |
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Part I The Basics of Anxiety |
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Activity 1 Getting to Know Your Anxiety |
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2 | (4) |
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Activity 2 Trying to Control Your Anxiety |
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6 | (4) |
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Activity 3 The Cost of Controlling Anxiety |
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10 | (3) |
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Activity 4 Can Anyone Control Anxiety? |
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13 | (5) |
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Part II How We Misread Anxiety |
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Activity 5 Comparing to Others |
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18 | (4) |
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Activity 6 What Matters Makes You Anxious |
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22 | (3) |
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Activity 7 Everything Connects to Everything |
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25 | (5) |
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Activity 8 Learning to Notice |
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30 | (3) |
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Activity 9 Noticing In Everyday Life |
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33 | (5) |
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Activity 10 Noticing, Even When Anxiety Shows Up |
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38 | (3) |
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Activity 11 Grounding Skills |
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41 | (5) |
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Activity 12 Watching from a Distance |
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46 | (3) |
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Activity 13 You Are Not Your Thoughts |
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49 | (3) |
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Activity 14 Your Drone's Perspective |
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52 | (4) |
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Activity 15 Watching Thoughts |
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56 | (3) |
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Activity 16 Say Your Thoughts in New Ways |
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59 | (3) |
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Activity 17 Thoughts as Stickies |
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62 | (4) |
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Activity 18 Naming and Describing Feelings |
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66 | (3) |
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Activity 19 Being Willing to Feel |
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69 | (3) |
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Activity 20 Making Space for Feelings |
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72 | (3) |
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Activity 21 Treating Feelings Like Puppies |
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75 | (5) |
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Part VI The You That Matters |
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Activity 22 Who and What Matters to Me |
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80 | (4) |
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Activity 23 The Me I Want to Be |
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84 | (3) |
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87 | (4) |
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Activity 25 "Good Enough" Is Not a Value |
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91 | (3) |
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Activity 26 From Values to Goals |
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94 | (4) |
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98 | (3) |
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Activity 28 Making SMART Moves |
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101 | (5) |
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106 | (6) |
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Activity 30 LLAMA: Labeling |
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112 | (4) |
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Activity 31 LLAMA: Letting Go of Your Battles |
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116 | (2) |
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Activity 32 LLAMA: Allowing Thoughts and Feelings |
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118 | (4) |
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Activity 33 LLAMA: Mindfully Come Back to the Moment |
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122 | (3) |
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Activity 34 LLAMA: Approach What Matters |
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125 | (6) |
| Looking Ahead |
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131 | (2) |
| Acknowledgments |
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133 | (2) |
| Activity Answer Sheet |
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135 | (2) |
| Notes |
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137 | |
Sheri L. Turrell (Author) Sheri L. Turrell, PhD, is a clinical psychologist living with her family in Toronto, ON, Canada. She is passionate about her clinical work with adolescents, helping them to move towards a life that matters. Sheri is the primary investigator, working in collaboration with Mary Bell, for studies of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and a mobile app for adolescents. Sheri runs a full-time private practice, and enjoys being a consultant for graduate students and mental health service providers who are interested in learning ACT.
Christopher McCurry (Author) Christopher McCurry, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist in private practice specializing in the treatment of childhood anxiety. He is a clinical assistant professor in the departments of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.
Mary Bell (Author) Mary Bell, MSW, RSW, is a social worker working in private practice and clinical roles in Singapore and Toronto, ON, Canada. She specializes in helping youths and their parents through the adolescent transition. Her clinical affiliations have included The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Trillium Health Partners. She has found her 'true north' in sharing acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with both clients and other practitioners.
