Advance Kids’ Anxiety Treatment with Parent-Powered Strategies
- Speaker:
- Ashley Smith, PhD
- Duration:
- 2 Hours 01 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Oct 23, 2025
- Product Code:
- POS150343
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
One of the biggest challenges in treating anxiety in children is that they rarely come alone – they bring their parents or caregivers with them. And those “big people” can either unintentionally reinforce anxiety … or become powerful allies in building resilience and change.
When a child resists participating in therapy, avoids practicing coping skills, or refuses to come to sessions altogether, it’s easy for both clinicians and caregivers to feel stuck and frustrated. The key is learning how to engage the entire family system in a way that empowers, motivates, and sustains progress.
In this dynamic and interactive workshop, you’ll gain evidence-based strategies to break through resistance and increase motivation – even with the most hesitant or avoidant youth.
You’ll learn how to:
- Approach anxiety as a systemic issue and engage parents as essential partners in treatment
- Equip caregivers with practical tools to reduce unhelpful accommodations and promote healthy coping
- Use targeted behavior plans and interventions that increase follow-through and motivation in and out of session
- Navigate common obstacles like parental anxiety, inconsistent follow-through, or lack of buy-in
Through real-world examples, hands-on activities, and practical resources, you’ll leave this session with the tools and confidence to help families move forward – even when motivation feels like the biggest hurdle. Plus, you’ll receive take-home worksheets and materials to support ongoing work with your clients.
Credit
Handouts/Brochure
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - Advance Kids' Anxiety Treatment with Parent-Powered Strategies (1.8 MB) | 19 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Transcript - Advance Kids Anxiety Treatment with Parent Powered Strategies (175.2 KB) | 32 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Illinois Educators Self-Study Instructions (15.4 KB) | 1 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Illinois Educators Evaluation Form.pdf (1.2 MB) | 1 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Speaker
Ashley Smith, PhD Related seminars and products
Dr. Ashley Smith is a licensed clinical psychologist and recognized expert in anxiety and related disorders. She has worked in children’s hospitals, an anxiety specialty clinic, and private practice, providing evidence-based treatment for anxiety and OCD.
An adjunct faculty member at Kansas City University, Dr. Ashley has extensive experience training and supervising mental health professionals. She has authored peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and two books, including Childhood Anxiety Disorders. A long-time member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, she was honored with their Special Recognition Award in 2023.
She regularly presents workshops and trainings at local and national levels, focusing on the practical application of cognitive behavioral therapy, positive psychology, and applied neuroscience to improve clinical outcomes. She is also the co-founder of Peak Mind. The Center for Psychological Strength, an organization dedicated to making psychological tools more widely accessible.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Ashley Smith is the co-founder of Peak Mind, has an employment relationship with Kansas City University, and maintains a private practice. She receives royalties as a published author. Ashley Smith receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Ashley Smith is a member of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and sits on the board of directors for Disabled But Not Really.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Objectives
- Identify common challenges to treatment engagement in anxious youth and understand how family dynamics contribute to resistance.
- Implement evidence-based strategies to reduce parental accommodation and promote child motivation for change and active participation in treatment.
- Develop tailored behavior plans that incorporate rewards and consequences to increase treatment adherence and reduce problematic anxiety.
Outline
Introduction- Debunking the myth: Why motivation isn’t a prerequisite for effective treatment
- Normalizing resistance and low motivation in anxiety work
- Common challenges
- Anxiety as a systemic issue: How family patterns sustain avoidance
- The impact of parental accommodation
- Activity: Case reflection – identify family dynamics and patterns of avoidance
- Balancing support and limits
- Modeling calm, confident coping
- Identifying unintentional reinforcement of anxiety
- Activity: Crafting supportive but firm parental responses
- Defining strategic pressure and its role in anxiety treatment
- What it looks like in practice
- Preparing parents for extinction bursts and setbacks
- Activity: Drafting a step-by-step plan for withdrawing accommodations
- Using rewards and consequences to encourage progress
- Building simple, consistent plans with child buy-in
- Activity: Create a behavior plan tailored to a client
- When parental anxiety disrupts follow-through
- Reframing the “fix my kid” mindset
- Addressing lifestyle barriers: sleep, screen time, and routine
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Educators
- Art Therapists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Physicians
- Psychologists
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- School Administrators
- Social Workers
Reviews
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