I have been meaning to write a review of your Turnaround Program for quite some time now. I have never taken the time to write a review before, but would like to take the time to do so for your program because it was extremely beneficial for my family and I highly recommend it.
We are a Foreign Service family. We move to new countries every two to three years. As a result, my children have been suffering from a lot of anxiety and depression about moving to new places and schools. The anxiety had become almost debilitating for my nine-year-old son, who seemed as if he could not cope anymore. I could not find a psychologist who spoke English to help him with his anxiety and fears. As a last resort I Googled resources online and came across your Turnaround: Turning Fear Into Freedom program. I actually did not have much hope for the program when I ordered it, and ordered it out of desperation. It turned out to be such a huge help, an extremely helpful resource. I am VERY thankful I did order it! It definitely exceeded my expectations. It was worth every penny!
The Turnaround Program is fantastic. It is a well written and scientifically based program designed for children. My son and I listened to the program every day. It held his attention and he was able to relate to the children in the program. He enjoyed listening and having discussions about what we had learned. We both learned so much. We learned what anxiety was, the symptoms of anxiety, and strategies to overcome anxiety. This is such a great resource. I cannot recommend it enough!
Moving is still difficult for my children, and we’ve now found a family therapist who speaks English that is working with us, but this program definitely helped us get through some tough times, gave us understanding, and hope! Thank you, David and Christopher!!! Karen, Mother of Four Boys
I wanted to let you know that the Turnaround program was a blessing for our son. We walked through the CDs and workbook as instructed. Honestly I was worried whether or not he would be captivated by the storylines, but he was! I think having the children’s voices and their different stories of what makes each of them feel frightened or anxious was something that he could relate to and connect with. I believe it made him realize that he wasn’t alone in what he was feeling and also was inspired that it could be overcome.
When we ordered the program, he didn’t want to do things like walk onto a stage to receive an award, join tee-ball nor participate in his Taekwondo belt testing. He would say that he didn’t want to do anything that would require “people looking at him” and would literally freeze with fear, unable to move or speak when put in a situation that he felt was uncomfortable. Today, he is playing baseball, with a batting average of .875 I might add, has belt tested and thus far has obtained his ‘blue’ belt. He is truly a confident, happy little boy.
(Side note…he doesn’t like corn on the cob, thus when it came time to draw / name his fear via the program he drew this corn cob with a crazy face, arms and legs, calling him “Crazy Corn.” To this day, he’ll still say Crazy Corn is gone!)
I want to sincerely thank you for the program. It helped our boy tremendously! I would recommend Turnaround to any parent who feels at a loss as how to help an anxious child. Kindest regards, Heather
Craig
First I would like to say thank-you for your amazing program and fantastic resource! Our two children had huge problems with anxiety. They have been able to individually, successfully identify their own triggers and anxious behavior and the fears and doubts that prevent them from enjoying school and life in general. They have gone from scared and anxious children to happy, confident, and empowered little people.
As a parent it is difficult to watch your child go through so much sadness and trauma, not knowing how to really support them through it. I realized that while I was learning about this material to support our daughters, I was uncovering my own hidden anxiety that I had suffered with all my life from a child. As a result I have found a new freedom that I have never known. Boy are we glad we purchased Turnaround! Mom from Queensland
Dear Dr David and Dr Chris, Recently I have just finished Turnaround it really helped. I used to be really scared and get freaked out by stupid stuff like my cat meowing at night. My mum really didn’t know what to do, we were going to try a doctor or something but then she found Turnaround. We wanted to try this before we started messing around with councillors and stuff. Once I got started I got really interested all the different kids who were just like me! It made me feel like I wasn’t alone, we were in this together and that made me stronger. Ashley and Madison are like me, I worry a lot, but so are Jordan and Brianna, I panic all the time. I worried about growing up and starting puberty, I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay a kid forever. But now I know not to worry, every other girl copes so why can’t I? I have a really active imagination and I use that to write stories with mythical places and magical powers, but sometimes I use it on worrying. The encouraging word from Emily everyday was a great help too. I still read that even when I’ve finished Turnaround.
I now understand that I just need to listen to chill and ignore Krank! Thank you so much for your help! Love from, Erin (I’m British btw)
Sarah from Australia
Well I was reluctant to purchase the program in the first place, but was also very desperate to get my 10 year old daughter help and get her to sleep in her own bed AND help her with her separation anxiety in regards to school.
I purchased the program in the summer and wanted to conquer the sleeping problem first before school began this fall. My husband and I were constantly getting woken up by my daughter all hours of the night. My daughter would need her TV on all night and if I snuck in there to turn it off, she’d wake right back up! I know my daughter wasn’t getting proper rest either. I also many times would just give in and go sleep with her so my husband could get some rest.
Since she has completed the Turnaround Program she is off to bed by herself, wishing us all a goodnight. It is truly amazing what the program has done for her. We have conquered her sleeping problem as now she is in her bed all night without any disruptions. We are very proud of her! Since school has started, she is doing the Turnaround Program all over again, this time concentrating on her separation anxiety and fear of being away from mom and dad. As of today she is on her 3rd CD and I can already see an improvement in the mornings when trying to get her off to school.
Thank you to all the Turnaround team for what you did for my daughter. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see your child suffer at such a young care-free age with any type of worry and/or anxiety. I am very lucky I stumbled upon your program and am truly grateful. I feel like my prayers were answered! I know she will conquer her school refusal too, just like she did her sleeping problem. I absolutely recommend this program to parents who have children who are struggling. You won’t regret it!! Grace H, Chino California
We worked the entire program. I found it to be wonderful. I learned more about my own anxiety. It was work. As a home schooling parent, I felt teaching how to manage anxiety was the best thing I could teach my 3rd grader. She was able to go on a month long vacation to visit family without me. She did not have 1 anxiety attack while gone. Upon return, old habits have crept back into our world. It would be awesome if there was a continuing support system once the child has listened to the whole program a few times. Maybe a second journal?
Your work is wonderful and I have recommended it to several families. It could possibly save a family thousands of dollars in therapy. Thank you. Our family has suffered greatly from the economy and have had no choice but to apply for Medicaid. There is not a child psychologist accepting new patients in a 50 mile radius. My father-in-law purchased your program as a gift to us. And a fantastic gift it is. Monica S.
More thanks than I can say in words, Sarah B, California