Dr Amina Al-Yassin Tips for Teachers and  educators when dealing with children and young   people with anxiety. The most important thing,  as a Teacher or an educator, is to be aware of   the signs of an anxiety disorder so that you’re  able to identify them. Children who are regularly   absent or late, children who have regular visits  to the School Nurse for physical health symptoms,   like headaches and tummy aches where no cause has  been found, or children who are avoiding normal   activities or avoiding different situations  which other children may find enjoyable,   these are all signs that there may be something  going on that may be worth you looking into. So, the – one of the most important roles you can  play as a Teacher or an educator is to stay aware   of these signs and to try and get more help for  any child who may need it. If you are concerned   that a child may be suffering from anxiety, speak  to their family. Speak to the child themselves.   Speak to the School Counsellor or your Special  Educational Needs Co-ordinator to try and see   if anything else has been recognised by anyone  else, and what has been tried already before.   It may well be that someone else, for example, the  parents or carers, are aware of this and have some   strategies which the child finds helpful, and it  may be really useful for you to know about them. Another useful thing to do, if you are worried  that a child in your class or school may have   anxiety, is to develop a really whole school  approach to this. This is when all children   in the school, not just those that we are  worried about, are taught about emotions   and the importance of managing them. They  all receive psychoeducation, so learning   about different mental health conditions,  how to recognise them and how to support   them. Where they are all taught different useful  techniques, such as meditation or mindfulness. Teaching the whole school about mental health  and about anxiety will benefit everyone   and not just the child that has been identified.  It also promotes tolerance and respect and means   that you are less likely to stigmatise or to  exclude those children who are suffering. And   it also means that you may be able to identify  children who may not otherwise have spoken up,   or who may not otherwise have presented  with their mental health difficulty. So,   adopting a whole school approach  is a really helpful strategy. Other things that are really helpful for children  with anxiety in a school-based setting are   routines. When children feel like they are in  control and when children know what to expect,   they feel more safe and they feel less anxious.  Make sure that there are no stressful surprises   in your school, with ideas like having a  visual timetable, ensuring that children   know what activities are coming next, checking  in with children at a regular interval, if you’re   able to. Giving them an overview of what’s  coming up tomorrow or in the next few weeks,   and also giving children any opportunity to let  you know if they need some space or some timeout. Special Educational Needs Counsellors and School  Counsellors often have an amazing toolbox of ideas   that you may be able to benefit from, so  do speak to them to see what tricks they   have up their sleeves. They may have ideas such  as helping a child to develop a coping toolbox,   a timeout card, separate exam spaces or anything  else that may be tailored to that child’s needs. One of the things I find most useful to understand  about anxiety is that anxiety is like a cycle.   Anxiety – if we’re very anxious about something  and we avoid that situation, it can make us feel   a little bit better for a short period of time.  But then, in the long-term, it actually makes that   anxiety grow. So, the solution in anxiety  is not avoiding the triggers, but rather,   it’s preparing for them and exposing ourselves  to them in a gradual and in a supported way. So, for example, if you have a child in your  class who is anxious about playtimes, then,   if they – if we were to allow them to stay in the  classroom, rather than go out into the playground,   that may make them feel a little bit better  for a short period of time because they’ve   avoided that stress. But with time, that  will actually make the anxiety about the   playground grow, because they will have  never had the opportunity to see that,   in fact, the playground is a safe  and maybe even enjoyable place. So, that’s important to know and to plan for  and to see how we can gently encourage our   pupils with anxiety to challenge themselves,  step-by-step in a very – in a ladder-like,   or a step-like way, just so that they’re able  to grow in their self-efficacy and in that   feeling that they are able to do difficult  things. It encourages a growth mindset,   which is really helpful when it comes to anxiety. As a Teacher or an educator, it’s important for  you to know what your local services are and how   to get more support for a child who needs it.  This may be via your Special Educational Needs   Co-ordinator or through the child’s family. As a  Teacher, you often know children best. You spend   up to eight hours a day with them for most of  the year, and so, your input into any referrals   or into any, you know, any discussions with  other organisations, is completely invaluable. As a GP and as a Clinician within CAMHS,  whenever I receive a letter or an opinion   or a report from a Teacher, I know to take  it really seriously, because I know that this   is someone who spends a lot of time with the  child and who has worked with many children,   so is really able to work out if something is  normal or if something needs more help. So,   never forget that your opinions are  invaluable and please do include   them in any referrals. You’re often best  placed to seek more support for this child. Finally, being a Teacher or an educator  is a difficult job and supporting a child   or a young person with anxiety disorder  can be exhausting. It can be hard work,   so make sure that you’re looking after yourself  and if you find that you, yourself, in fact,   are finding this difficult, experiencing anxiety  yourself or feel like you need someone to speak   to, then don’t hesitate to reach out to  your GP, to your Therapist, to your mental   health professional or to any counselling  services provided by your school or union.