Ready...Set...R.E.L.A.X.

Stress affects children, as well as adults. This workshop examines the physiological and psychological effects of stress on children, and details a program designed to reduce anxiety and improve self-concept in children. The program includes self-guided stories, discussion questions and activities, and emphasizes imagery and relaxation. Workshop participants learn specific interventions to use with individual children or groups of children in schools, health care facilities, clinical settings and the home. Lecture, demonstrations (live and video), discussions and time for practicing the techniques are all included in the day’s activities.

Ready...Set...R.E.L.A.X. provides 5 contact hours of CE's for Social Workers pain symptom management requirements in addition to the CE credits listed here.

Brief Description of Instructional Format:

This workshop examines the physiological and psychological effects of stress on children, and details a program proven to reduce anxiety, improve self-concept and raise achievement scores. The program includes self-guided stories, discussion questions and activities, and emphasizes imagery and relaxation. Workshop participants learn specific interventions to use with individual children or groups of children in schools, health care facilities, clinical settings and the home. Lecture, demonstrations (live and video), discussions and time for practicing the techniques are all included in the day’s activities.

Goal:

Stress affects children as well as adults. Increased pressure from the emphasis on testing in school, conflicts at home, and media emphasis on violence and terrorism has caused a dramatic surge in children’s report of anxiety. The goal of this course is to teach participants how to intervene using proven, inexpensive and easily administered techniques.

Session Objectives:

To clearly recognize the physiological and psychological effects of stress on children. To learn how to use activities, imagery and relaxation techniques with children to alleviate stress and gain cognitive coping strategies. 

Learning Objectives:

Learner will be able to:

• Recognize sources of stress and its impact on children
  
• Teach children relaxation and cognitive coping strategies
• Use music to access the relaxation response
• Use relaxation and imagery to improve achievement scores in school
  
• Implement a preventative model in their work setting