"Support instead of protect" How parents can help an anxious child instead of deepening his anxieties

How can the parent serve as an anchor that helps the anxious child and allows him to stand up against his fears, instead of being carried away with them and even increasing the child's anxiety, due to his worries or demands? The answer to this question bridges the gap between the authority model developed by Haim Omer and attachment theory. The seminar will deal with interactions between parent and child that perpetuate the problem and prevent the child from experiencing an anchor. An anxiety disorder does not develop in the child's psyche in isolation. This is because the child requires the parent's help in alleviating his fears. Working with parents is therefore a central component in helping the anxious child. The treatment plan that will be presented at the seminar has been tested in hundreds of cases and has been proven effective in controlled studies in Israel and abroad. The plan allows for prevention work in children with incipient anxiety, or clinical intervention in cases where the anxiety disorder has already taken shape. The plan has also been adapted for particularly serious cases, for example, children who refuse any treatment, teenagers who isolate themselves at home, and even "adult children" who develop complete dependence on their parents, in a syndrome known as "demanding dependency."

Today's program:
08:30 - Greetings and opening: Prof. Gili Goldzweig – Dean of the School of Behavioral Sciences at the Tel Aviv-Yafo Academic College, Dr. Sami Hamdan – Tel Aviv-Yafo Academic College
08:40 - First lecture: Two problematic positions: the protective position and the preachy position - how to change them and develop an effective and supportive parental anchor
10:00 - Break
10:15 - Second lecture: School refusal and isolation of children and youth
11:45 - Lunch break
12:15 - Third lecture: Achieving harmony between parents and building a support system that will advance the child
13:30 - Dr. Sami Hamdan interviews Prof. Haim Omer about his perspective on treating children's anxieties.

 

Professor Haim Omer - from Tel Aviv University is a leading figure in the field of working with parents in Israel and around the world. He developed the concepts of parental presence, nonviolent resistance, the new authority, the role of the parental anchor, and parental supervision. His books have been translated into more than 10 languages and many institutes teach his approach around the world. Four international conferences have been held on his concepts and the treatment methods he developed. The fifth international conference will be held in Israel in May 2018.

Reading list:
Omer, H. and Lebowitz A. (2007). Children's Fears: How to Support Instead of Protecting Them. Books Ltd.

Lebowitz, ER & Omer, H. (2013). Treating childhood and adolescent anxiety: A guide for caregivers. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Lebowitz, ER, Dolberger, D., Nortov, E. & Omer, H. (2012). Parent training in non-violent resistance for adults with entitled dependence. Family Process, 51, 90-106