Looking for a Way to Beat Back-to-School Anxiety? Maybe It’s Time to Get Creative

For many young patients (and their parents) the back-to-school season is an anxious time. How will they navigate their new classes? Will they get along with their teachers? Will they make friends? Their active imaginations can invent a hundred scary scenarios.

But what if their brilliant imaginations could help them build resilience instead? In this Mental Health Minute, Victoria Harris, DPsych, MA, offers practical tips and techniques to help children overcome their fears through the power of their creativity.

Dr Harris is a Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapist and Supervisor in private practice who specializes in using creative techniques. She has trained in child psychotherapy and play therapy and researched the use of creative techniques in psychotherapy at Dublin City University. she helped develop a well-being school programme for 3rd & 4th class in Ireland for the charity A Lust for Life. Her middle-grade fantasy novel WISH uses metaphor to help children navigate anxiety and loss will be released on October 5th, 2021. Dr. Harris believes strongly in early intervention and using creativity as a tool for healing.

How do you prepare patients for the back-to-school season? Share comments with your colleagues by emailing PTEditor@mmhgroup.com. Comments may be shared online pending review and editing for style.