Health and Wellbeing
Gradual Exposure for Overcoming Anxiety
Break a big fear into steps so small that an anxious pupil's answer to the next one is "yes, I can do that".
- 20 minutes
- Recorded webinar
- 0.5 CPD hours
- Certificate
Members
14 days free, then £70 a year or £7 a month.
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What you'll learn
- Check a child is safe, ready and motivated before starting exposure work
- Break a big fear into steps small enough to feel easy
- Use fear ratings out of 10 to decide when to move on
- Pair each step with calming techniques such as breathing or grounding
- Pick up again after a holiday or setback by going back a step
About this course
Pushing an anxious pupil too fast tends to backfire. If they panic and nothing helps, their brain learns it was right to be scared, and the next attempt is harder.
Gradual exposure, done well, lets a child face a fear in steps they've chosen, whether that's coming into school or having a blood test. You'll learn how. Agree a clear aim with the child, then break it into steps small enough that the answer to "could you do this?" is "yeah, obviously". Fear ratings out of 10 tell you when to move on, and there's an anxiety ladder to download so you can map out the first steps together.
Just as useful is knowing when not to start. If school isn't yet a safe place for that child, because of bullying or needs that aren't being met, exposure only feeds the fear.
- For early career teachers, mental health leads and 5 other roles. All phases.
Recording
Open in order
- 2 min
Introduction
- 4 min
Tip 1
- 2 min
Tip 2
- 2 min
Tip 3
- 2 min
Tip 4
- 4 min
Tip 5
- 3 min
Tip 6
- 2 min
Tip 7
- 2 min
Tip 8
- 2 min
Tip 9
- 2 min
Resource