My son is doing GREAT! He has had very little struggle with anxiety over the past 4 months or so. I want to thank you once again for this excellent program. He has come so far, it’s amazing. It’s wonderful, as a parent, to see my child getting back to his old self again, although I don’t think he will ever truly be his “old self”. He has learned so much, and has gained so many skills to deal with anxiety and life in general that he is now a “new and improved self”. The beauty of this program is that it is always available for review when necessary. I wholeheartedly recommend Turnaround, and honestly cannot say enough good things about it.
Thank you for identifying anxiety for what it is—thoughts. This has greatly helped my son. He has realized that he can control his thoughts and that a ‘what if’ scenario is merely that; a ‘what if’. It also has helped him to recognize when his stomach issues (rolling stomach and vomiting) are due to anxiety and how to control it. He takes control often by telling me that his stomach hurts due to whatever the issue is that concerns him. He is only 8 and can be riled easily at times, but at least now is able to recognize the anxiety thought patterns and address them through the chill exercises and simply ‘talking wacky back’ or just changing his thoughts.
The portion of the program which addresses thankfulness is wonderful as well and whenever he starts to exhibit some anxiety behaviors we list 3 things we are thankful for as a family. Sometimes rolling eyes happen, but he does gain perspective. As a parent of a child who exhibits these patterns, it has helped me as well to identify these patterns in my own thought life and allowed me to ‘chill’ as well.
We appreciate the program and say thank you! Tera, Texas, USA
My daughter has general anxiety, separation anxiety, and some symptoms of social anxiety disorder. We have been enjoying some anxious free days since starting the program. When worries do arise it is really helpful to have a way to deal with them. Morning drop off is an especially hard time for our 7-year-old daughter. She used to cling and cry and seemed quite desperate and lost. Since the program, she still has the anxiety in the morning but she has more confidence to deal with it. Now she expresses to me that she feels anxious but then takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders and walks into the school. We have had some worries pop up in different situations and she is more than willing to talk through the wacky thoughts, yucky feelings, and zany responses with me.
I don’t feel as helpless because the program has given me a outline of the dialog that I can use to help her work the worry out. Thank you for your program and for putting it in a context that my daughter really related to. As a parent I had managed to get all the information that I needed to help my daughter but I had been really struggling to use it all in a way that she could relate to and understand. She has been ‘on board’ with this program and we both feel empowered! Thank you again. Alison
My youngest son always dealt with anxiety related to changes, crowds, new school years and Mondays after long breaks in addition to anxiety at any point during the day though it lessened through 5th grade. 6th grade he was accepted to the arts magnet public school in which his brother was already accepted but all the changes and his increasing performance fears (despite good grades) caught up with him less than 4 weeks into the year. And he’s been home ever since.
After two months of wondering why the psychologist and school professionals were so unhelpful in being able to guide us with effective, practical tools for both him and me (as well as Dad), I found your materials and curriculum. Though at first he balked, he soon came to find great comfort in the CDs. He still is fighting to surrender to the fact that anxiety only goes away with repeated exposure, but your relaxation exercises and many CDs filled with easily digested teachings for him have been a foundation for his healing and learning to live with anxiety.
Cooper has used the ‘thumb to middle finger’ technique to help get himself into the parking lot of school (in our car) with lessened anxiety as well as breathing exercises to intervene with escalating fearful thoughts and racing heart. He is also learning how important it is to watch the thoughts and words he chooses to use as he has learned from your CDs that he is hard at work rewiring his brain to be less anxiety-oriented.
The parent CDs were also tremendously comforting to me, giving me insights into how to take my concerns and deal with them separately from his issues. The supportive, non-condescending yet direct information about what parents can and cannot do in order to best support their anxious children was a balm to wearied, guilty, shamed ears.
We have a long way to go but find your CDs to be the cornerstone of the work we do, and the work Cooper does in his continued recovery. Thank you so much for being a bridge to hope that is flagrantly missing in this journey from other professionals. Laura
We have had a very positive experience from Turnaround. My 12 year old son has always been a bit socially anxious, but midway through his first year of intermediate school he developed severe school avoidance that was precipitated by anxiety around having to give a speech in class. We then had an awful 5 months, with intense anxiety, anger and school refusal. Despite great support from his teacher, the local Child and Family Service and the school counsellor, we made very little progress, and I was frustrated by the lack of resources available for my son (such as reading material).
I came across Turnaround when I was desperately searching the net, and although I don’t tend to buy things off the internet, I was impressed by your website (and I was desperate!). I have worked in mental health services, although now I am a stay-at-home mum, and my partner is a GP so we should have been well-equipped to deal with our son! (I could really relate to your description of trying to help your own child!)
So I bought Turnaround (at speedy delivery to NZ!), and my son and I listened together every night, and my partner and I listened to the parent tapes. We were all very impressed with it and my son commented that out of every one (ourselves, his teacher, the school counselor etc.), he felt that the people that wrote Turnaround understood best of all how he was feeling. He was also started on some medicine around the same time, and I’m sure this has been helpful too, but I feel the Turnaround has been the main factor in his progress.
I have recommended the program to lots of friends; it’s amazing once you start talking to people how many have had struggles in their own families with similar issues. I have promised the school counsellor that I will buy him a copy for the school to use(!) and I have recommended it to our local child and family service.
So many thanks and well done for the work you have put into this resource! Mum and Social Worker, New Zealand
Hi! My name is (removed for privacy), and believe it or not I have a little issue from every camper (from the cast), but I’m probably most like Jordan. I have very severe panic attacks. They are VERY SCARY! But with the help of Turnaround, a little medicine, and lots of support from friends and family, I am almost better! Before any of that, I would talk to my pets, mostly Millie, my 12 year old cat who has grown up with me. I am 11 years-old. she is the most special thing to me. She understands me. She also has some shy and severe worry problems! She trusts me more than anyone in our family. You probably get how much I love Millie, and I love Turnaround as much as I love her! Thank you soooo much!! So much that I can’t even write it down how much!! I’m finally going to school without tears. Now I have tears of joy! (Identifying information has been changed to protect privacy)