WEBSITES
1. Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale available for download in both child and parent versions, with instructions for marking.
2. Description of anxiety disorders provided by the Child Anxiety network.
3. A paper discussing the assessment and treatment (via different modalities) of four anxiety disorders in children: generalised, separation, social phobia and panic disorder.
4. An interesting nutshell summary covering most features of depression in children, and including advice for parents.
5. Goldberg’s depression screening test – not a substitute for proper assessment but quite useful for teens who mostly love filling in quizes. It therefore provides an easy and non-threatening way in to a discussion of how they feel, when things start sounding more serious.
6. NICE guidance on depression in children and young people is found here.
BOOKS
Overcoming teenage depression and low mood
Nicky Dummett and Chris Williams
Hodder Arnold 2008
ISBN 978-0340946572
This book is one of many resources (several are free) from the Five Areas site run by Chris Williams. He is a Patron of the National Phobics Society, as well as a Past President of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). The Five Areas are to do with: life situation, altered thinking, altered feelings or moods, altered physical symptoms and altered behaviour or activity levels.
The book consists of many short workbooks designed for the teen to work through, alone or with support, including many questions and checklists to fill in. The only drawback seems to be the need to have one for each person – there are no photocopying rights and the book is 350 pages long. After the first two workbooks, it can be tackled in any order that suits. It is more like a course, but well laid out and there is something clean and accessible about it that may well attract a not-too-depressed teen to have a go. Lots of information for counsellors who don’t actually want to give out the book.
Have a root around the Five Areas site too – there are free cartoon print-outs to accompany this book, for instance.
Short-term Play Therapy for Children
(chapter 2 for anxieties; chapter 4 covers depression within mood disorders)
Charles Schaeffer and Heidi Gerard Kadusen (Eds)
Guilford Press 2006
ISBN 978-1593853303
Good chapter on cognitive-behavioural play therapy for anxieties and phobias, but also an excellent book for the depth of detail on how to use play therapy in many different short-term situations, individually, in groups and with families.
Separation Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: An Individualized Approach to Assessment and Treatment
Andrew Eisen and Charles Schaeffer
Guilford Publications 2005
ISBN 978-1593851316
What I like about this book is its wide scope, excellent clinical examples and the possibility of it being understood and used by non-CBT therapists. It also focuses on relationships, something that is often missing from CBT-based material.
Handbook of depression in children and adolescents
John Abela and Benjamin Hankin (Eds)
Guilford Publications 2008
ISBN 978-1593855826
Good because it doesn’t only cover CBT but several other therapies. There are some chapters on prevention, too, among other topics. A bit tough-going to start with but a chapter list is available at this link so you can have a look and see what you think.
Children’s anxieties
Peter Appleton (Ed)
A contextual approach
Routledge 2008
ISBN 978-0415459440
This book is fabulous. The main content has been arranged such that you can pick a case study according to the kind of scenario, and read about the child’s anxiety in the situation and then about the intervention made, with discussion and back-up research integrated. The nine case studies, covering areas such as fostered kids, accidental trauma, aggression, refugee status, learning difficulties, mistreatment, panic etc, are preceded by the theory section and the book wrapped up with a conclusion. There is something in it for most of us to learn – some of it unconnected with anxiety, in fact. Thoroughly recommended.
Anxiety
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Children and Young People
Paul Stallard
Routledge 2009
ISBN 978-0415372558
This book deals with anxiety in good detail – all aspects are covered – but it presents the CBT method in such a clear way, with so many examples of process, that it makes for a very good primer on the model. Various kinds of anxiety are discussed with regard to the relevant evidence base for CBT treatment. The main thrust of the book then focuses on dealing with the anxiety issues from assessment to outcome. Summaries of the information are given in greyed boxes throughout and there are worksheets at the back. The layout of the book is exceptionally clear and the many examples lead the reader by the hand. It is not simplified, merely accessible. I like this book very much.
OTHER RESOURCES
MoodGym
A CBT/IPT programme covering both depression and anxiety, supposedly for over 18s though appears suitable for those of 16-plus (yes, I ran through it!). Characters such as NOPROBLEMOS (one of those people who are genuinely happy, self-fulfilled, loves life, and is content) and CYBERMAN (looks good on the outside, but is a seething wreck inside) populate the programme, which consists of exercises – the answers to which are recorded in a personal workbook. Well worth signing on to (under a pseudonym) to see if it would benefit a client.
