Working with Anxious Students

Ever feel like you have a revolving door in your counseling office and you find yourself using the same tried and true techniques? Sometimes they work but sometimes they just feel stale and you're looking for something new. I've pulled together some of my top strategies for working with anxious students. My number one tip is to remember that you are not working to stop anxious feelings, rather to help students learn to cope with their anxiety so that it doesn't stand in the way of living.

Strategies for Calming

These strategies are for students who are very anxious. They need to calm down right. now. 

• 5 Senses Grounding: Suggest naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. I've created a photo to go along with the concept. Feel free to right click and save or download the printable from TPT.
• 5 Point Breathing: Practice slow, deliberate breathing by following the outside of a star. As you trace around the star with your finger - breathe in, breathe out and hold at the tips of the star.
• Breath in the flower, blow out the candle: a good visual for younger students. I actually kept a fake flower and unlit candle in my office as a visual
• Calm down spot: not just for littles. Can include music, gum, putty, coloring - whatever is appropriate for your age group.

Strategies for Learning

An important part of coping with anxious feelings is to learn about them. Kids may not understand that anxiety is a normal feeling that can sometimes spiral out of control. When students are calm, they can learn how to think about their anxiety in order to master it. 

One way that I teach kids about mastering their anxiety is to use the hand as model. The thumb is your feeling brain. Sometimes your feeling brain has strong feelings (wave thumb around). We can use our thinking brain to use strategies to calm our feeling brain down (lay fingers on top of thumb). Once the student knows this concept, I can typically use the hand as a visual reminder of the strategy. 

I have compiled these strategies and more in a professional learning presentation. You can share this in a PLT, use in a parent conference, or refresh your own strategy toolbox. I've even added 4 printables of the senses grounding and the 5 point star breathing. Please check it out on TPT! What are your go-to strategies for working with anxious students?