I think this program is absolutely FABULOUS!!!! My daughter was struggling with anxiety so I sent her to a counselor for a few sessions and really there was no improvement. I am a bit of a ‘control freak’ and like to tackle problems from a self-help perspective when possible. I Googled and found two choices, one program than I could learn and then ‘teach’ my daughter and yours. SOOOOOOOO much better to have someone else teach!!!! My daughter went from ‘anxiety attacks’ that had her feeling sick, like she couldn’t breath and the school ringing me to pick her up to……… FREEDOM!! It really was only a matter of days to weeks that Turnaround helped. We were on a family driving holiday so she listened on her iPad then did journal activities. She loved it, was very motivated to do it. By listening to the Parent CD and also listening with her to the program, I then could use the language that she had learnt which helped me to help her!!! My daughter was just 9 years old when we started and I considered the CD content/presentation to be exactly perfect for her.
My sons now listen to the Chill Tracks and Day Tracks as they go to sleep. They laugh and laugh about Krank – his voice and his stories – but they also ‘get’ the content. I asked my son if he had been helped by it because you wanted feedback. He is 8 years old and big and bold and anxious!!! He said the part that helped most was the ‘teaching’ that it’s just your thoughts. It might happen but it might not. My younger son – 6 years – is prone to catastrophising. A few weeks ago he burst out with “that’s because I’m so terrible”. To which I replied, sounds to me like you’ve got Krank in your head. His response “then I would tell Krank to get out of my head, he’s not welcome.” Amazing stuff!! Soooo powerful to learn at 6, 8, 9 years old. I learnt it at 36!!! My six year old says that he learnt ‘about the mind reader’ and actually no one can do that!! This is coming from their mouths!!!
I have recommended the program to a few people but everyone wants to approach things from a different angle!! I think if you, like me, want to quickly improve things for your kids and are open minded enough to try a self help CD, its perfect. Oh, don’t forget my husband!! He has listened to snippets of it too- he needs to listen to more of it because it is pure GOLD – CBT wrapped up in a story – inspired!!!
THANKYOU!! Alison
This is a letter of thanks to David Russ and Christopher McCarthy for creating their ‘Turnaround’ program. Less than a month ago, following an initial visit to an orthodontic specialist, I returned home with my eleven-year-old daughter who was in a state of terror and panic and barely able to communicate. Our half hour consultation had lasted nearly two hours because of my daughter’s phobia of doctors, dentists, hospitals, etc., which had left her in a state of extreme anxiety and panic. The orthodontist had informed me during the consultation that she would have to make an entry on my daughter’s notes that she was suffering from ‘pathological anxiety’ which would make any further treatment virtually impossible (sadly my daughter did hear some of this conversation which only made matters worse).
Desperate to find a solution that would not involve mind-altering drugs or a general anesthetic, and determined to help my daughter understand and take control of this situation I began ‘trawling’ the Internet. Thanks to Google and ‘search engine optimization’ I found your site very quickly indeed. Your Turnaround program has given us back our happy, smiley child and transformed her life.
In just 10 days our young daughter has metamorphosed into a serene, happy girl who is now able to talk about her anxieties in a calm, rational manner – the difference is so great and has happened in such a short time frame that it is almost spooky. It is as if you had located and mended a faulty switch in her head. I think our daughter will always be rather shy, quiet, intelligent and a deep thinker and I have said to her that as we go through life there will be many more mountains to climb and ‘dragons’ to slay along the way but that the best dragon slayers in the world are the shy, quiet, thinking ones. Your amazing course has lightened her load and made her route less arduous. We would have liked to deliver this message in person however, North Carolina is a bit too far away. Thank You. Mrs. R, UK
Thank you, thank you, thank you guys for putting this program together and making it available. Our schools system had just cut out councilors due to budget cuts and, frankly, the psychologists available in this area are not very good. Most spent time trying to sugar-coat school and/or threaten my child to try to make him go to school. One young councilor even said he was just spoiled and throwing tantrums and we just needed to put our foot down. We really didn’t know where to turn. We knew nothing about anxiety disorders, nor how to deal with them.
Our son enjoyed the lessons and even more, the fact that someone was actually explaining in detail just what was going on inside of him that was making him feel this way. It really did give him the power to face the real problems and stare them down. It was in baby steps but at this point he actually looks forward to going to school most every day again. Not only did this get us through the anxiety attacks but it also gave him (and us) tools to use for a lifetime of challenges ahead.
I was amazed at how many people came up to me sharing stories of their anxious child (or their anxious childhood) after seeing me pushing my crying kid into school every morning. I’ll never forget how hard that was as a father to have to hand him off to the principal or teacher when he wouldn’t let go and there was no end in site until we found Turnaround. Initially the Turnaround program was, at least, a small dot of light at the end of the tunnel. In the next few weeks, that dot grew to being out of the tunnel completely. I can’t thank you enough for providing such a critical tool for helping us through that desperate time.
I have recommended your program to others and will continue to do so. I would also like to see our school system work out some sort of deal with you for a license to use your software for other anxious children in the future. Please keep up the great work. Your efforts are filling a void and are truly appreciated! Dave and Gloria, Canada
I thought I would share some ongoing Turnaround effects. I emailed you about a month ago about my 13-year-old daughter (with ASD) doing her speech after the Turnaround program. Two weeks ago, she presented it in the gym in front of 6 classes, and she was fantastic! I posted a video to YouTube for my family to see and people were completely stunned at how relaxed and poised she was. She hardly even looked at her cards.
This week, she informed her teacher that she was going on the Grade 8 trip. In November, we had seen the presentation from the company for the Grade 8 trip to camp in June, and she was very firm that she was NOT going. She said she was afraid to sleep in a cabin, and I think she was also alarmed by some of the other activities (rope climbing, etc.) Last week, her teacher surprised me with a text saying that she was happy my daughter was going to go to camp after all. WHAT? It seems she thought about it a lot and decided in her own mind that she was not going to be scared, and that she wants to be with her friends for the last trip before high school.
As well, this weekend, she stayed over at my aunt’s apartment over night. One of the fears she noted in her Turnaround journal was sleeping over at other peoples’ places. Last year she went to spend the night at my aunt’s and she had a freak-out and we had to go get her (turned out she actually had pneumonia, but that’s another story!). This year I was talking to my younger daughter about going to my aunt’s overnight and she chimed in, “if she is having a sleepover at Aunt B’s, I want to go too.” Okaaaay. She said, “I’m not going to be afraid of sleepovers anymore.”
So, no problem with my aunt (God bless her; she’s a retired teacher), but she did ask, “What about Mass?” We normally go to Mass on Saturday evenings and my daughter likes to sit in the same place. She has had extreme difficulty going to other churches, even with me sitting beside her. This year, I asked her about Mass, and she said, “I’ll go to Aunt B’s church. I will not plug my ears at the singing.” When we arrived to pick her up today, my aunt said she went to and through church without a ripple! I asked what she thought about in order to do it and she said, “I just thought in my mind that if I would freak out and yell and stuff people would kick me out of the church. So I decided to keep it all inside my mind.” I asked her if she felt like she was going to freak out, and she said no, that she felt totally calm. I think she visualized herself being calm, and then she was.
I attribute both of these successes to the Turnaround program. We don’t talk about it every day or go through her journal, but it’s like conquering one fear has made her realize she has so much power to deal with her other fears. So far, she says she is STILL not going on any roller coasters when we go to Disney at March Break, but who knows …?
Many thanks and blessings to you! Sue, parent 13 year old ASD, Ontario, Canada
First we love, love, love turnaround! I have had anxiety disorder for most of my 51 years and I got so much out of the cd series! Our son is on his second time through the cd’s and has come a long way. After a year we have finally hit on the correct medicine (that and growing in the word of God) and Turnaround he is on his way to real freedom!
As a matter of fact, I was stressing out a lot the other day and he brought me the chill CD and he told me to take some time out to get calm. He also talked me through the relaxation techniques! I am thrilled he understands one of the concepts to dealing with this is knowing when you’ve reached your stress limit, and stepping down to breathe. We are so grateful for your talents and your addressing children who struggle so with this. Thank you, God’s blessings to you all. Mary-Heather