De La Salle Holy Cross College hosted their monthly coffee chats with parents on 28 March, this time discussing anxiety and how parents can help their children.
Charlene Wessels, the educational psychologist at the college said, “We host a talk every last Thursday of the month. It covers different issues that we as psychologists at the college see that the learners are dealing with. We try to give parents tools on how to assist their children through difficult times they may face and it is also an opportunity for the parents to meet with us so that if they have any questions or have not been able to reach out to us, and we are able to can guide them.”
She added, “We consist of a whole team of professionals including an educational psychologist which is me, counselors and academic support team that assists in English and in maths that guide learners who struggle at those subjects. In the junior school, we have a speech therapist and occupational therapist as well.
“The De La Salle Holy Cross College learners are welcome to come to us at any time when the school is open from the morning to the end of the school day.”
Talking to parents about this anxiety on the day was education psychologist Warrick Dodge. He started by explaining the response most people have when dealing with anxiety – fight, flight or freeze. “All these responses take a large amount of concentration, processes happen in a part of the brain called the amygdala. This tiny part of the brain is believed to be the hub of fear and anxiety, and for adolescents, it doesn’t think because it is not fully developed by then.
“The amygdala leaps to your defense the moment it perceives a threat, whether it is a lion, a test next week or somebody saying something mean about you on Facebook.”
Dodge told parents that anxiety is normal but it becomes a problem when it takes over when there is no real threat.
He gave parents a few ways to help children dealt with anxiety:
- It is important for parents to respect the learner’s anxiety, to listen to them and understand that it is a real emotion they are dealing with
- Teach children to take long, deep breaths when they feel they are having, or about to have an anxiety attack
- Exercise is important
- Animals are great for calming anxiety
- Teach them about time management, so they learn to balance all activities and do them equally and timeously especially
- Don’t forget the importance of a good night’s sleep for learners before an exam or test.
- Most importantly, see a professional, such as a general practitioner, psychiatrist or talk therapy, if learners experience recurring episodes of anxiety
The chat session ended with a question and answer session with Dodge and the parents.
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