We recommend it for ages 6 to 12. With kids on the young side of the range a parent will have to listen as well. For older kids that isn’t quite as important although we still encourage it. We have found it creates a shared vocabulary that is very important. Adults can help customize the information if that is needed. If you have a child younger or older than the recommended ages and still want to try it we recommend you have your child listen to the samples first and see how that goes.
What types of anxiety are addressed in Turnaround? Will it work for my child’s type of anxiety?
We intentionally tried to address all the common types of childhood anxiety in Turnaround. We created it as something that can be used with or without a local counselor. However we strongly recommend a local therapist if the anxiety is associated with sexual or physical trauma, if the anxiety is extreme, or if there are co-occurring problems such as depression. We have numerous anecdotes that it is effective with all the major types of anxiety and research demonstrating effectiveness with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Specific Phobias, Social Phobia and Separation Anxiety. We cannot promise it will work for you child. It might just help a little or maybe not at all. That is why we offer a very generous money-back guarantee. We have feedback that it has been helpful with co-occurring disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders but we would be more cautious in our recommendation.
And how long does it take to go through one lesson or “day”?
Each lesson ranges from 20 – 25 minutes. Then there is a journal. To listen to an entire lesson and complete the journal may take around 45 minutes. However, you can easily break that into smaller sections and spread it over several days if that works better for your family.
Is the program animated or does it have video elements?
The program is an audio story. Although we have cartoon figures on our site & packaging there is no animation. The journal is illustrated. We don’t have specific plans at this time to make a video version of the program although it is not out of the question down the road.
Impact Questions
I am curious about your 10-day turnaround program. Are you implying that it should take 10 days to see less anxiety, or even no anxiety in my child? Or how long does it generally take to see improvement/less anxiety?
We designed the program as an adventure that takes place over an imaginary 10-day period. However, cramming it into 10 actual days at your home could be too much. How fast you go will depend on your child. We think the absolute minimum time to do the program is 10 calendar days. Most people spread it over a longer time. We wish we could say for certain how long it will take to see some improvement. Frequently we hear that about the 4th or 5th disk there is some improvement. Sometimes kids have to go through it two or more times. It just varies. Some kinds of anxiety are a bit more “stubborn” than other types. The feedback and research we have suggests that most kids get improvement and many get complete remission of symptoms. However, there are other kids that it doesn’t work for. We don’t always hear back from parents but the times we have heard that it didn’t help are just a fraction of the total. We don’t want to over-promise but at the same time we have a lot of confidence it will help.
Is there any research about the effectiveness of Turnaround?
Yes, we are very pleased the Turnaround was used as the treatment for anxious kids in graduate research at an Australian University. The results of the random controlled trials (RCT)[1] were very strong regarding the effectiveness of Turnaround. Here are some summary highlights:
The Turnaround program was effective in reducing the clinical severity rating of the primary diagnosis, decreasing the number of diagnoses held, improving overall level of functioning, reducing child and parent report of anxiety symptoms, and reducing the experience of anxiety.
For all measures, these improvements were either maintained or improved upon at 3-month follow-up.
The percentage of children free from their primary diagnosis is comparable to that found in traditional face-to-face CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) for child anxiety.
The results of the Turnaround program appear similar at post-assessment and superior at 3-month follow-up, to a study where a bibliotherapy program for youth anxiety disorders with no therapist contact was assessed.
Comparing Turnaround to computerized interventions, it would appear that Turnaround is similar in terms of the percentage of children free of their primary diagnosis following treatment. It should also be noted, that both compared programs include therapist support, while Turnaround does not, making the results of Turnaround particularly impressive.
Audio-treatment programs have the potential to circumvent many barriers to seeking help and may increase availability by being more flexible and convenient, and less time intensive.
It is also important to comment on the ability of Turnaround to treat comorbid (more than one at the same time) anxiety diagnoses. Children rarely present with one anxiety diagnosis. The results from this research suggest that Turnaround is not only able to reduce primary anxiety diagnoses, but comorbid disorders as well, with almost half of the children being free from any diagnosis at 3-month follow-up.
This preliminary research suggests not only significant treatment outcomes, but also low rates of attrition (zero-level in this study) and high levels of consumer satisfaction.
[1] This is a specific type of scientific experiment and the gold standard for a clinical trial. Key to this is the random assignment of subjects to two or more alternative treatments. After assignment each group is followed in the same way. The only difference is in the type of treatment they receive. The random assignment minimizes any bias that might otherwise taint the results.
How important is the journal in the treatment? Should I push if my child is resisting it?
The heart of the treatment is the audio part of the program. The journal was designed to support and reinforce the audio. Part of a Cognitive Behavior Treatment program is to keep track of how you are feeling. That is part of the role of the journal. If there are some parts of the journal that seem to be more of a burden consider not insisting on that but do strongly encourage your child to track progress. To listen to the entire lesson and do the journal would typically take about 45 minutes. Maybe the resistance is about that much time. Consider breaking it into shorter time blocks. Keep in mind that facing fear is hard. When you run into resistance focus on what your child can do and less on what he or she is not doing. Keep a calm but consistent push if needed but give as much choice as possible as long as things aren’t completely avoided because they are anxiety provoking.
I'm interested in your program but I'm afraid the kids' “problems” might give my child new things to worry about. I really like the way your program looks. I just don't want to make things worse.
This is a frequent and quite understandable question. If you have an anxious child the last thing you want is to do something that makes it worse! But there is an absolutely fundamental thing you must understand. You child is afraid of things that are NOT that dangerous. Their anxiety is wrong. The only way to know for sure the anxiety is wrong is to face it. The wrong goal is to avoid anxiety. The right goal is disprove it. Usually a child’s anxiety will rise at the beginning of treatment. When it rises the brain goes looking for danger. Your child might add some of the fears represented in the program. However, that is typically very brief and usually not as upsetting as the concerns that brought you to the program. If you continue the program the “new” fears will likely disappear relatively quickly. If this just concerns you too much it is probably better to not start the program than to start and quit too soon.
That depends entirely on the speed of your connection to the Internet. The files are rather large. On a good high speed connection the compressed program would take less than 10 minutes. We wouldn’t recommend trying the download on a dialup connection.
Can I copy the files and load them on another player? For example, can I have a copy on my computer, Mp3 player and tablet?
Yes, as long as they are for your family’s use only you can copy it to as many devices as you would like.
What do I do if I have download problems, my link has expired or I lost my copy due to a computer crash or change?
We are happy to send you a new link for the files. Please email support@turnaroundanxiety.com and we will provide you access to the files.
