COUN 605

How to Support Our

Students with Generalized
Anxiety Disorder
by Anilu Pérez-Gómez
 AGENDA

Traits &
01 What is GAD? 02 Characteristics

Strategies to Support
03 Causes & Impacts 04 Our Students
 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
in K-12 Students
A mental-health condition of excessive worry and
fear with no clear reason, causing stress in their
everyday lives.

The child might not recognize that their worry is

too strong for the situation.

Most common type of anxiety disorder.

(Shillingford, 2020)
 Signs & Symptoms

No other mental disorder Excessive worry/anxiety:

can better explain the
disturbance.
The problem is not
caused by another
mental disorder.
Happening most days for at
A least 6 months.
F
B
Challenging to
control the worry.
E C
a Changes across
D development.

The anxiety can affect a child’s daily life.

- Making it challenging in social, school, or other areas.

(Shillingford, 2020)
Age of Onset
Average for GAD:
● 30 years old

No minimum age for diagnosing

in children / adolescents.

Affected:
● 2% to 4.6% of children
- 6.8 million adults
- 3.1% of the U.S. population

(Shillingford, 2020) & (Children’s Hospital, 2024)

The anxiety is linked to at least ONE or more of the following
six symptoms & some have been
present for most days in the past six months.

Restlessness 1 6 Irritable

Easily Fatigued 2 5 Muscle Tension

3 4
Trouble concentrating Trouble Sleeping
(Lecture, 2024 &
Shillingford, 2020)
Behavior
● Follow rules
● Catastrophize events
● Doubt themselves Physical Symptoms
● Seek a lot of reassurance
● Redo tasks
● Headaches
● Aim for perfection
● Stomachaches
● Hold back
● Tense Muscles
● Avoid harm / risks
● On-edge
● Hard to focus
● Exhausted
● Disrupted sleep

(Lecture, 2024)
 (Shillingford, 2020) & (Children’s Hospital, 2024)

Risk Factors
Intrapersonal Environmental Genetic

● Behavioral inhibition ● Children with overprotective ● ⅓ of the risk of

● Negative affectivity
● Harm avoidance
+ anxious parents: having GAD is
● 7 x’s more likely to connected to
develop anxiety other anxiety/mood
compared to children disorders.
whose parents are not.

(Shillingford, 2020)
Gender Factors
More commonly diagnosed in biological females
at a rate of 60%

Similar symptoms observed across genders

● Females = depression.
● Males = substance abuse

(Lecture, 2024)
 Most Vulnerable:

● 73% of LGBTQ+ youth reported

experiencing symptoms of GAD.

(Trevor Project, 2022)

Who Can Diagnose?
A licensed clinician:
● Psychologist
● Psychiatrist
● Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
● Licensed marriage & family
therapist (LMFT)
● Licensed professional clinical
counselor

(Lecture, 2024)
Professional Services & Treatment

Recommended:
- Play therapy (3-9)
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) ages 10+

- Brain imaging
- Medication (SSRI).

(Lecture, 2024)
Supporting Students At School
School Counselor + School Psychologist + School Social Worker +
Teachers + Administrators + Supporting Staff

● SEL Lessons ● Accommodate

● 1-1 counseling ○ Careful: to not opt out of the
activity.
● Coping tools
○ Dedicate time for their concerns.
● Calm & safe space ○ Limit the amount of time spent on
● 504 Plan or IEP work.
● REASSURANCE & EMPATHY ○ Highlight their strengths!

(Lecture, 2024)
How Can Families Support Their Children?

Talk openly about

anxiety
Listening Practice
+ problem-solving
Validation skills.

Promote structure Consult a

professional

Coping Tools

(Lecture, 2024)
 Online Resources for Our Families
1. The Child Anxiety Network: www.childanxiety.net

2. WorryWiseKids: www.worrywisekids.org

3. New York University Child Study Center: www.aboutourkids.org

4. Massachusetts General Hospital School Psychiatry Program and MADI Resource

Center: www.massgeneral.org/schoolpsychiatry/info_anxiety.asp

5. Anxiety Disorders Association of America: www.adaa.org

6. The Center for Mental Health Services: www.mentalhealth.org

7. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: www.aacap.org

Academy of Cognitive Therapy: www.academyofct.org
Thank you!
Does anyone have any questions?
 References
Children's Hospital. (2024.). Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Children's Hospital.
https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

Lopez-Perry, C. (2024, February 27). Module 1: Internalizing Emotional & Behavioral Disorders
[Lecture]. COUN 605: Mental Health/Crisis Response, California State University, Long Beach,
USA.

Trevor Project. (2022). National Survey.

Shillingford, M. A., & Gonzalez, T. (Eds.). (2020). Demystifying the DSM: A Tool for School
Counseling Students and Practitioners (Revised First Edition). Publisher.