The Yale Child Study Center’s Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program will hold the 8th Annual Spotlight on Anxiety Forum for Concerned Parents and Professionals on Thursday, April 21. This year’s theme is “The ‘Other Pandemic’: Anxiety in the Time of COVID-19.”
The forum will provide attendees with cutting-edge, clinically informed information about childhood anxiety and its increased prevalence since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some topics will include genetics, irritability, failure to launch, parenting children & adolescents, and somatic symptoms.
To learn more and/or register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/8th-annual-spotlight-on-anxiety-the-other-pandemic-tickets-250506600987?aff=affiliate2
The Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at the Yale Child Study Center offers comprehensive evaluations and treatments for children and adolescents ages 6 to 14 years. Services are provided at no cost to families who are eligible to participate in research but can otherwise be provided for a fee (with a sliding scale plan also available). The program treats a range of anxiety disorders and fears, such as excessive worrying, social anxiety, separation anxiety, anxiety relating to school (e.g., taking tests, speaking in class, attending school, etc.), and specific fears (e.g., heights, dogs, thunder, etc.).
Clinical Trials
The program currently has three large clinical trials. The first is looking for children 10-14 years old to study how children with and without anxiety pay attention to pictures of faces. If eligible, your child will complete computer tasks while we measure their attention. You and your child will also respond to surveys. Eligible participants will be compensated up to $350.
The second trial is for children 6-12 years old and includes two effective treatments for childhood anxiety — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), a parent-based treatment. Families enrolled in this research are randomized to receive SPACE or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for 12 weekly sessions. Study participants receive evaluation and treatment at no cost and are compensated up to $250.
The third trial, for children 10-14, is testing the effects of a brief computer-based training that targets attentional processes to reduce social anxiety in children. Attention training is a promising treatment for anxiety disorders because the hope is to train the child’s brain to divert from threatening stimuli. Participants will complete the computer program twice a week for four weeks. Study participants receive treatment at no cost and are compensated up to $600.
The Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program is led by Wendy Silverman, PhD, Alfred A. Messer Professor of Child Psychiatry and Director of the Yale Child Study Center Program’s Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, and Eli Lebowitz, PhD, Associate Professor in the Child Study Center and Associate Director of the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program. If interested, please feel free to call 203-737-4644 or email anxiety.csc@yale.edu to learn more about the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program at the Yale Child Study Center.
