CBT Separation Anxiety Worksheet
By
HappierTherapy
Author bio
The Happier Therapy editorial team is made up of Masters and PhD counselling psychologists. Each worksheet is created by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The worksheet then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
Download Worksheet
What is the theory behind the CBT Separation Anxiety Worksheet?
Separation Anxiety occurs when children display and experience excessive anxiety over being separated from their primary caregiver such as parents. The most common place this occurs is when kids start going to school. It can show up as refusal to attend school or throwing frequent tantrums and excessive crying spells on the way to school. This causes much distress not just for the children experiencing anxiety but also the parents. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for such cases has proven to be very effective.
How will the worksheet help?
This worksheet will help young clients write or draw about their fears. It is difficult for young children to talk about their feelings but they can write or draw it well. One way the therapist can begin addressing the child’s separation anxiety is by finding out what really scares the child about being separated from their parents.
How to use the worksheet?
This worksheet can be used in the initial session with a child seeking Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for their separation anxiety. While having a discussion about the child’s fears and worries, ask them to use the given worksheet to write or draw what they fear the most and when.
