Parent Session No. 2

Detective Thinking & Stepladders

Aim Review of our first anxiety management skills:

○ Detective thinking

Provide you with an overview on our second anxiety management skill:

○ Exposure – using stepladders

To briefly highlight other skills from the program

Review

How has your son found the first few sessions?

○ What is he finding easy?

○ What are the difficulties?

○ Is there anything you still don’t understand?

○ Homework & parental involvement

Treatment of Anxiety using Detective Thinking

Response

FeelingsThoughts

EVENT(Realistic Thinking)

Review

Encouraging Courageous Behaviour

Basic principles:

○ The role of attention in encouraging anxious behaviours

○ The role of praise in increasing the likelihood of courageous behaviours

○ The use of proportional rewards

○ The influence of modelling – both parent & peer

○ The importance of encouraging independence and reducing protective behaviour

Encouraging Independence

If I did not help my child here, what would really happen?

Allow children to experience the natural consequences of their actions

What response should I have to reassurance seeking?○ Answer first and second time, but then don’t respond at all

Consistency between adults

The need to use self-control

Exposure

Exposure is just an extension of the realistic (detective) thinking

The purpose is to test out their fears and gather their own real life evidence to prove there is nothing to worry about

Exposure is based upon the principles of habituation

Habituation Leads to decreased

behavioural & psychological response to stimuli

A type of learning

A fundamental or basic process of biological systems and does not require conscious motivation or awareness to occur

Found in every species of animal

Habituation

Habituation Over Time

Basic Principles of Exposure(STEPLADDERS)

Fear hierarchy○ Ranks fear from smallest to biggest or maybe least to most often avoided

If possible, staying in each situation long enough for the fear to reduce or until boredom sets in HABITUATION

Repetition to extinction

Progress will not be smooth – persevere despite setbacks○ Reaction to bad experience is important – not failure, but seen as good and bad

days ○ May need to go back a step in fear hierarchy

Watch for subtle avoidance they must ENGAGE with the fear○ They may have some item of comfort, keeping eyes shut, saying things to

themselves

Basic Principles of Exposure(STEPLADDERS)

Allocate a reward for each step○ Ensure you are paying attention to “brave” behaviour○ Reward should be given as close as possible after the event○ Rewards should be proportionate to the task○ Rewards should not be financial where possible○ Rewards are not a bribe but an acknowledgement of effort○ Potent rewards involve praise and special time with parents

Overlearning is important – going above-and-beyond

This is a technique that can be used with all fears – it is only limited by the creativity of the person creating the hierarchy

Creating Stepladders Create a list of fears; low,

medium and high

Group similar fears together

Set a practical goal

List the possible ways that a fear could be broken down and rate each one

Create a stepladder by ordering the situation, make sure no big gaps exist

Allocate a reward to each step

Creating Stepladders

Manipulating Steps Steps in the fear hierarchy (Stepladder) can be

varied by:

○ The people present, their familiarity, number, age or gender

○ Familiar or unfamiliar location

○ Time spent in the situation

○ Preparation before-hand

○ Level of fear (e.g. how dark it is)

Other Skills

Worry Surfing (p. 32)

A Step-by-Step Guide to Handling Anxious Moments (p. 37)

Social Skills and Assertiveness (p. 43) – table on p. 46

Take home message Get involved and understand what your

son’s fear hierarchy (Stepladder) involves – help them to implement steps on a regular basis

Provide appropriate rewards and encouragement when your son practices

Keep giving time and effort to the program so that you can support your son’s efforts

Where to from now? Practice task on p. 20 of parent workbook

Keeping track of Stepladders (p. 26)

Getting in touch with your son’s teacher if his Stepladder requires tasks at school

○ Immediate rewards?○ In-class tasks?

Item for lucky dip

If you are having difficulty with anything – ask us for help!