LYNNFIELD — A Healthy Lynnfield (AHL) is hosting a hybrid workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. to help children better manage the many stresses and anxieties they are facing on a daily basis.
“Don’t Feed the Worry Bug: Helping Kids Manage their Anxieties” is the fourth installment in AHL’s Healthy Conversation, Healthy Kids series. The session will be led by clinician Heather Day, MA, LMHC.
Day will cover several topics, including how anxiety manifests in children of different ages, how and why staying healthy is important for both caregivers and children alike and tips to help work with children so they can learn how to better recognize and manage their own anxieties.
AHL Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator Peg Sallade said it’s important for parents to help their children learn the skills to manage anxiety as opposed to eliminating it.
“It’s an unrealistic expectation to think that anxiety is just going to disappear as everyone has anxiety,” she said. “It is an ongoing process to learn how to recognize and manage it. It’s very hard for parents to watch their children struggle and oftentimes the tendency is to think there is a quick fix, as it’s heart-wrenching because parents just want it to go away.”
During the workshop, parents will discuss three specific case scenarios across different grade levels and learn how to respond to situations in which child anxiety manifests in challenging social behaviors. Practical and important information and tools will also be presented.
The workshop will be held in person at the Al Merritt Media Center, 600 Market St., on the second floor. A Zoom link will also be provided to registrants who opt for remote participation. Sallade said this is the first time AHL has utilized a hybrid approach.
“Hybrid is very different from an only-virtual platform, so it might be a little rocky,” she said. “The thought is that with schools and the town back to in-person, we wanted to be able to give people the opportunity for a more hands-on conversational feel that comes with an in-person experience.”
Day, a 2009 graduate of Lesley University in Cambridge, works as a clinical supervisor and outpatient clinician at Riverside Clinical Care in Lynnfield. She interned at STARR residential program for youth ages 12-18 who were referred by the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) for stabilization services. She also worked in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities and has also worked with the Department of Mental Health clubhouses, residential programs, outreach, family counseling and outpatient services.
Sallade said one of the goals of the program is to give parents the skills they need when their children’s anxiety goes from normal to abnormal, resulting in interference with daily activities.
“We all experience stress and anxiety so the question is: how do we teach kids the skills they need to cope with it?” Sallade said. “It’s just like having the symptoms of a cold; you go get it checked out. It’s the same with anxiety when there are indicators that professional help may be needed.”
To register for the workshop, go to www.ahealthylynnfield.org and follow the instructions.
