Recognize what you want to see:
Feeling safe, calmly talking about feelings, acting brave.
Use the skill:
Possible praise: “Thank you for telling me you’re scared.”
Possible negative consequence for refusal to do something important (like go to school): spend the day resting with no fun home activities, like tv, games, or preferred toys.
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Purpose:
Children should not be given negative consequences for having anxiety. However, they might refuse to do things that are important for their health and safety. In this case, negative consequences should be boring so the important activity seems more fun and doable.
