About this webinar
Date: March 24, 2027
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Facilitator: Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S.
CE hours: 6
This training is suitable for:
- Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers.
- Direct Service Workers: drop in workers, shelter and hostel workers, child and youth workers.
- Educators: teachers, ECE, school administration, support staff.
Level of training: Intermediate
Client age category: For professionals who work with clients of all ages.
Recommended prerequisite: Basic child therapy skills
Description: Anxiety disorders represent one of the most prevalent forms of psychopathology among children and this is dramatically on the rise given the current pandemic. As such, many children are referred to therapy to help them cope with anxiety symptoms. The most efficacious treatment for childhood anxiety in the research is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The effectiveness of this approach is enhanced by integrating playful, developmentally appropriate interventions so that children will engage in treatment and learn key skills to manage anxiety. Children who might otherwise be resistant in therapy are more likely to participate in playful activities designed to cover the CBT components.
In this webinar, a brief overview of CBT will be presented, along with innovative techniques to assess and treat children with anxiety. Interventions will address the core treatment components: psychoeducation, somatic management, affective expression, cognitive restructuring, exposure, and relapse prevention. Therapeutic games, art, stories, and other engaging activities will be presented for use with children aged 4 and up.
Although the focus of this workshop is on treating children with anxiety, many of the interventions can be adapted for use with other treatment populations. Participants will come away with many new and innovative interventions that they can use immediately in their clinical practice, including online sessions.
Learning objectives:
- Describe the special challenges of utilizing CBT with children.
- Identify the benefits of integrating playful CBT interventions with children.
- Apply at least two interventions to assess anxiety in children.
- Implement a range of creative CBT interventions to treat anxiety in children including phobia, separation anxiety, perfectionism, and selective mutism.
- Describe methods for motivating children to follow through with their gradual exposure plan.
Continuing Education (CE) Information: SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) to offer continuing education (CE) hours. Full-day programs equal six CE hours; half-day programs equal three CE hours; for less than half-day programs, one hour of programming equals one CE hour. SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute maintains responsibility for the programs.
Other licensing boards and professional organizations will grant continuing education credits for attendance at their own discretion; participants will need to submit the course outline and Certificate of Participation for their consideration.
Registration closes
If registration has closed and you're still interested in joining this course, please contact Mary Anne at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca
Accessibility
We strive to ensure our online learning programs are easy for everyone, everywhere. If you have any accessibility requirements (automatic transcripts, closed-captioning, ASL interpreters, advanced access to program materials), please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca to let us know how we can best support your learning experience.
Photography is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the content is a model, except where indicated.