Best Evidence-Based Anxiety Interventions for Kids and teens

Feb 19

adolescent crouched down, head down and covered by arms, anxious, anxiety

Anxiety is on the rise among children, teens, and young adults. Whether it's generalized anxiety, school avoidance, social anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it can be overwhelming for both the individual and their family.

While the Internet has a myriad of pseudo-scientific interventions that claim to offer clear solutions, they often lack strong scientific evidence (Torrijos-Muelas et al., 2021). Fortunately, there are proven, research-backed approaches that can help children and young adults manage anxiety effectively.

Let’s explore the best evidence-based interventions for reducing anxiety and building long-term coping skills.

1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – The Gold Standard

CBT is the most researched and highly effective therapy for anxiety (Hofmann et al., 2012). It helps children and young adults identify anxious thoughts, challenge negative thinking patterns, and gradually face their fears.

🔹 How it works:

Identifies worry patterns and cognitive distortions.
Uses exposure therapy to help kids and teens gradually face their fears.
Teaches practical coping strategies like breathing techniques and problem-solving skills.

🔹 Best for:
✔ Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
✔ Social Anxiety Disorder
✔ Panic Attacks
✔ Separation Anxiety
✔ OCD (with Exposure Therapy)

🔹 Top CBT-Based Programs & Books:
📖 Coping Cat (for kids 7-13) – Kendall & Hedtke (2006)

📖 What to Do When You Worry Too Much (for younger kids) – Huebner (2005)

📖 Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD – Lebowitz (2020)

🖥️ GoZen! Program (Anxiety relief and resilience training for kids)

2. Mindfulness-Based Approaches

Mindfulness helps calm the nervous system, teaching children and young adults to stay present and avoid spiraling into anxious thoughts (Zoogman et al., 2015).

🔹 Best Mindfulness Resources for Kids & Teens:
🧘 MindUP Program (for schools) (Schonert-Reichl et al., 2015)
🧘 Smiling Mind (App)
🧘 Headspace for Kids (App)

3. Exposure Therapy (ERP – Exposure & Response Prevention)

Avoidance makes anxiety worse. Exposure therapy helps children gradually face their fears in a controlled way until the anxiety response diminishes (Abramowitz et al., 2019).

🔹 Best ERP-Based Programs:
📖 Face Your Fears – Tolin (2012)

📖 Brave for Anxiety (BRAVE-ONLINE) – March et al. (2009)

🖥️ GoZen! Program (Anxiety relief and resilience training for kids)

4. Parent Training for Child Anxiety (SPACE Program)

Parents often accidentally reinforce anxiety by accommodating their child’s fears. SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is an evidence-based intervention that helps parents learn to support their child without enabling avoidance (Lebowitz, 2020).

📖 Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD (Lebowitz, 2020)
📖 The Anxiety and Worry Workbook for Parents

5. School-Based Anxiety Support

Schools can offer accommodations and structured interventions to help students succeed (Muris et al., 2016).

🏫 School-Based Programs:
📖 Zones of Regulation (Kuypers, 2011)
📖 CBITS (Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools) (Kataoka et al., 2003)

6. Medication (When Needed) – Should Be Combined with Therapy

For moderate to severe anxiety, medication can be helpful when combined with therapy (Walkup et al., 2008).

🔹 Resources for Medication Information:
💊 General Information on SSRIs
💊 AACAP Medication Guide for Anxiety

Need Personalized Support?

If your child is struggling with anxiety, school refusal, social anxiety, or OCD, evidence-based interventions provided by a skilled clinician can make a real difference.

We offer psychological assessments and many of the evidence-based interventions above to help kids and youth overcome anxiety and thrive!

Schedule a consultation today to discuss how we can support your child’s unique needs:

Click —> info@slo-psych.com or call us at 805-316-1410.

📍 Serving San Luis Obispo County & beyond

References

Abramowitz, J. S., Deacon, B. J., & Whiteside, S. P. H. (2019). Exposure therapy for anxiety: Principles and practice (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1

Torrijos-Muelas, M., González-Víllora, S., & Bodoque-Osma, A. R. (2021). The Persistence of Neuromyths in the Educational Settings: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 591923. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591923

Huebner, D. (2005). What to do when you worry too much: A kid’s guide to overcoming anxiety. Magination Press.

Kataoka, S. H., Stein, B. D., Jaycox, L. H., Wong, M., Escudero, P., Tu, W., & Fink, A. (2003). A school-based mental health program for traumatized Latino immigrant children. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(3), 311–318. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200303000-00011

Kendall, P. C., & Hedtke, K. A. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxious children: Therapist manual (3rd ed.). Workbook Publishing.

Kuypers, L. (2011). The Zones of Regulation: A curriculum designed to foster self-regulation and emotional control. Think Social Publishing.

Lebowitz, E. R. (2020). Breaking free of child anxiety and OCD: A scientifically proven program for parents. Oxford University Press.

March, S., Spence, S. H., & Donovan, C. L. (2009). The efficacy of an internet-based CBT intervention for child anxiety disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(3), 595–606. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016064

Muris, P., Meesters, C., & van den Berg, F. (2016). The self-report version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): First evidence for its reliability and validity in a school-based sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(4), 545–556. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00023-8

Rapee, R. M., Wignall, A., Hudson, J. L., & Schniering, C. A. (2006). Treating anxious children and adolescents: An evidence-based approach. Guilford Press.

Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Oberle, E., Lawlor, M. S., Abbott, D., Thomson, K., Oberlander, T. F., & Diamond, A. (2015). Enhancing cognitive and social-emotional development through a simple-to-administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children: A randomized controlled trial. Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038454

Tolin, D. F. (2012). Face your fears: A proven plan to beat anxiety, panic, phobias, and OCD. Wiley.

Walkup, J. T., Albano, A. M., Piacentini, J., Birmaher, B., Compton, S. N., Sherrill, J. T., ... & Kendall, P. C. (2008). Cognitive behavioral therapy, sertraline, or a combination in childhood anxiety. The New England Journal of Medicine, 359(26), 2753–2766. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0804633

Zoogman, S., Goldberg, S. B., Hoyt, W. T., & Miller, L. (2015). Mindfulness interventions with youth: A meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 6(2), 290–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0260-4