As a mum of a daughter that's a massive worrier, I felt obligated to read this book. It's full of facts on why kids worry and how to ease your child's mind when they are overcome with anxiety. I have tried out a few and found it helpful with my own daughter. I was also pleased with the short chapters and how to-the-point this was. I will definitely be recommending it to other parents and carers.

Thank you for the ARC.

High praise for this book.

It is written in a very user friendly and relatable format and contains some fantastic advice.

Having studied a lot myself I was really interested to see what was in this book and I was really impressed. I would absolutely recommend this and wish this had been around when I was younger.

Very grateful for my copy thank you so much and wishing the book every success

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review***

A great book with lots of practical advice to help parents/carers deal with children suffering with worry and anxiety. A very helpful read, especially given the events of the last 18 months.

How to Help Your Child With Worry and Anxiety is a great book to understand more about children's worries and anxiety and what we can do to help.

I really like how the book is detailed in its explanations yet not overly long to read. The way it gets straight to the point without missing anything out is great and it is written in such an easy to understand way. The book starts by explaining the difference between worry and anxiety and what they are before giving a range of ways you can help children with anxiety before the anxiety as a preventative and in the moment,

The activities to help children are CBT based and easy to follow with a range of different activities which should leave one that works for all children. I particularly liked the idea of the worry bus for young children but there are some great ideas for young children like improving problem solving skills to calm worries.

This is a brilliant book that will help change the way you think about worries and anxiety which will help in helping children cope and learn some calming new strategies.

Having young a young child who has had to deal with a lot over the last 12-18 months with being in and out of school, I requested this to see if it would help. And to be honest, it was a great help and tool to help my wife and I to deal with all the emotions and struggle they were having.

If your child is/has suffered from anxiety, then please get hold of a copy of this book as it is a wonderful guide.

I was provided a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in return for this honest review.

Review of How to Help Your Child With Worry and Anxiety

Activities and conversations for parents to help their 4-11-year-old

by Lauren Callaghan

I decided to read this, as a parent, to give me a better understand of recognising and helping my child with anxiety and worry. Whist I wouldn't say my child is overly anxious or worried, I do believe everybody suffers from it to an extent, and knowing the tips and tricks to help them deal with their feelings would only be beneficial for all parties involved. Along with recognising the warning signs to begin with and helping before things can spiral out of control.

I really enjoyed reading the book, I thought is was well written and followed a logical path and structure. Definitely has some good points and strategises in it to try going forward. Would recommend it for everybody to read.

How to Help Your Child With Worry and Anxiety is written by Lauren Callaghan, a clinical psychologist, researcher and family therapist.

The book does what it says on the tin. It’s comprehensive but accessible for every parent with a child aged between 4-11. The chapters are short and succinct, making it a quick read, but each chapter filled with useful information. Clear boundaries are drawn between situations the book can help with, and others where further medical help needs to be sought.

The first part of the book deals with background information on the difference between anxiety and worry, how children experience them and their thought processes during times of worry.

The second part focuses on techniques taken from cognitive behavioural therapy to help your anxious child. These are bite sized activities that you can put in to practice straight away. There are activities that can be used day to day or in the moment when your child is anxious. Both types of activities are adaptable to the child’s age and there is a huge selection so there will be something to appeal to each family.

I have two children in the age range the book specifies. Both are deep thinkers and prone to worry. Like many parents, I’ve seen anxiety levels increase during COVID-19. Since receiving a copy of the book, we have tried a number of the activities and they have proved effective, particularly the worry bus - especially if we can throw the worry off the bus in a funny way. It’s a book I will refer to time and time again as my children grow up. It’s a must have for any parent.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Wellbeck balance for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A very helpful guide for parents to follow, backed up by scientific/psychological knowledge but very wary to follow and with step by step instructions on CBT exercises to try and help guide a child through worry and anxiety as it happens.

As a primary school teacher, a parent and someone who suffers with anxiety myself, I was really keen to read this book - and it lived up to exactly what I thought it would be. I would actually urge all parents to read this book - my own daughter is only a toddler and, whilst thankfully she hasn't shown any signs of anxiety being a problem, it will change the way that I talk about worries, fear and feeling anxious with her. Part of dealing with anxiety is acknowledging that anxiety is normal and we all feel worried from time to time - something that I think as adults, or educators or primary caregivers, we forget and neglect to share with children.

The structure of the book makes the content easily accessible - basic definitions of anxiety, different types, behaviours that might present themselves, ways to discuss these, and CBT based activities to help build ways for your child to deal with these - as well as activities for when children are stuck in a negative-thinking rut. Some of these activities could be easily adapted for the classroom to be used in PSHE lessons or assemblies perhaps, to help develop these skills within pupils.
The whole book is easy to read; it's not overly complicated or medical and doesn't promise life-changing action over night - it's about building mental health and equipping children with the tools to adequately manage their anxiety for the entirety of their life.

It's not your typical 'self-help' book; it's not preachy, nor all consuming. It's fair, helpful and in bitesize chunks. I've actually just read it all in an evening - ear marking the bits that I want to return to and the bits I want to discuss with my colleagues.

Let me begin this review by saying I've never done self help books. Not my thing at all. But browsing Netgalley I spotted this and honestly it could not have come at a better time. My daughter has been suffering massively with anxiety recently, and whilst her school are excellent at dealing with any sort of mental health issue I've floundered a bit despite having suffered myself literally all my life. I was worried this would bog me down a little but the first great thing about this is it is not a long book. It's to the point, no waffle. Brilliant!
The second great thing is how reassuring it is. I have felt to blame, perhaps projecting my own anxieties. Whilst this book does point to hereditary issues it couldn't be more direct in reassuring both myself and my partner blame is a bad idea!
And third, most importantly for me, it really is helpful to help us understand why this is happening and how to help. It plainly says it isn't a cure all but instead helps us to understand how to manage anxiety, not expect to cure it.
After the events of the past year I know lots of kids struggling and will be recommending this to lots of fellow parents and carers.