Help raising fear-less kids

More young people than ever are facing mental health conditions such as anxiety, but free support is available for parents to help their child become more confident.

Triple P offers a range of free courses to support parents, including ‘Fear-Less Triple P’ for parents of children aged 6 to 14 years.

Fear-Less Triple P helps set a good example of coping with anxiety, coach children to become more emotionally resilient, and develop your own toolbox of strategies. You can choose how to best support your child as they learn to manage their anxiety more effectively.

Fear-Less Triple P encourages parents to use practical strategies with all family members, not just the child who seems especially anxious. In this way, the Fear-Less Triple P program helps the whole family.

The program is based on research and experiences working with the families of children and teenagers with anxiety for more than 30 years. Fear-Less Triple P is co-authored by clinical psychologist Vanessa Cobham, a specialist in the field of child anxiety, based at the University of Queensland.

It’s called “Fear-Less” (not “fearless”) because it’s not possible (or useful) to completely eliminate fear from our lives. Sometimes fear is reasonable and helps keep us safe. In other words, being “fearless” isn’t actually helpful.

What we can do, however, is reduce unnecessary fear and worry. This means learning to cope with anxious feelings, and becoming more confident. This is true whether we’re adults, teenagers, or children.

The program is offered in a range of formats: online, seminars, a group program, and individual sessions.

To get started with Fear-Less Triple P or get more information on the program, head to www.triplep-parenting.net.au and search ‘Fear-Less’.