Why Smart Kids Worry: And What Parents Can Do to Help

Allison Edwards

Sept 2013 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this eBook

A practical parenting resource to understanding and relieving anxiety in kids, including 15 tools and workbook exercises to do with your children to manage their fears and worry less.

Being the parent of a smart child is great—until your son or daughter starts asking whether global warming is real, if you are going to die, and what will happen if they don't get into college. Kids who are advanced intellectually often experience fears beyond their years. And parents are left asking, why does my child worry so much?

Anxiety is the number one mental health issue for children in the U.S. In this practical parenting resource, psychotherapist Allison Edwards guides you through the mental and emotional process of where your child's fears come from and why they are so hard to move past.

Answers questions such as:

• How do smart kids think differently?
• How do I know if my child has anxiety (including a checklist)?
• What is the root of my child's anxiety and how can we overcome it?
• Should I let my child watch the nightly news on TV?
• How do I answer questions about terrorists, climate change, death, and other scary subjects?

This is a must-have guide for parents looking for a kid-friendly toolkit for emotionally intelligent, observant, and inquisitive children who want to overcome anxiety.

Praise for Why Smart Kids Worry:

"Therapist Edwards brings profound insight into the minds of gifted, anxious children in this parent-friendly handbook" —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"As a parent with anxiety as well as a child with anxiety, this was a really great manual." —Jessica Chiles

"As a psychologist who works with children, I can honestly say this will be one book I will be adding to my borrowing library for parents to read." —Kerry Marsh, LibraryThing

About the author

Allison Edwards is a Licensed Professional Counselor and registered Play Therapist with specialized training in working with children, adolescents, and families. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Northwest Missouri State and a Master’s degree in couseling from Vanderbilt University.. She is an adjunct professor in the Human Development Counseling Program at Vanderbilt University, and she maintains full-time private practice with children of all ages.