The TRAINOR Method is our 7-Step program that helps parents and children work together to overcome anxiety. Developed through Dr. Trainor’s 30-plus years of working with children and teens struggling with anxiety symptoms, the method is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which has been well researched and is recognized as the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
Overall, we have found that this approach is highly successful in teaching parents about anxiety and helping their children in a systematic manner. The treatment is individually tailored based on the specific needs of the child and family. In this light, it is important to note that treating anxiety and other mental illness requires a comprehensive plan that will vary according to the unique circumstances of each individual. While our seven steps provide a solid framework, key to this process is how the steps are applied and how each case is managed. To illustrate how this works in different situations, Dr. Trainor wrote her book about anxiety disorders.
We introduce each of these steps incrementally. And each step of the way, Dr. Trainor and her staff support the children, adolescents, and parents on a path that leads to the ultimate goal: reducing anxious behaviors and helping anxious children become healthy children, free of irrational fears.
Dr. Trainor learned early on that parenting anxious children is often counterintuitive. Parents want to protect their children from distress, but anxious children should learn to push themselves to overcome their worries. Knowledgeable and patient parents are most often the key to making progress, and while medication may sometimes be indicated, this is not necessarily the preferred treatment and should be accompanied by therapy.
Adults who experience difficulties with anxiety can also use the same seven steps. Adults can identify their symptoms, rate the difficulties on a rating system that they are comfortable with, set personal goals, learn how to reach these goals and if they want, reward themselves for their progress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy basically means changing the way you think about your fears and changing your behavior through specific goals. These behavioral changes should be challenging but not overwhelming and practiced, ideally on a daily basis. (inserted before the 7 Step method)
At the end Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a powerful method to help anxious children and adults overcome their anxiety symptoms.
