Whether it is fears for children’s safety, concern about germs or food safety, or continuous health anxiety, do your anxious clients feel ignored or dismissed by family when they try to get help to reduce fear? Do you see people who tell you an anxious family member ruins every event by endless preparations and out-loud worries? Are your anxious clients getting ghosted by their friends? People suffering anxiety often do not realize the burden their continual worrying has on those around them. Helping your clients balance loving concern for the anxious family member against the negativity of anxiety and their outright annoyance at living with anxiety on a daily basis is a challenge. Therapists can see the impact of anxiety affecting dating life, partners, friends and parents as they listen to clients discuss relationship woes and need to walk the line between being supportive and sharing their realistic appraisal of the trouble anxiety brings to the situation. In this session I will discuss very pragmatic suggestions for helping clients and their families and friends to reduce the impact of anxiety while the anxious client is still in the process of treatment.
Learning Objectives:
1.Teach an anxious parent to avoid modeling anxiety while containing their own worry.
2.Reduce health anxiety and its impact on family members.
3.Apply listening and anxiety reduction strategies to conflicts between anxious clients and their partners.