Levels of Family Involvement in the Treatment of Children with Anxiety Disorders: Education, Coaching, and Family Interaction

Lynne Siqueland, Ph.D., & Deborah Roth Ledley, Ph.D. 
Children's and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety

This event is presented by the Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Department of Psychology

The Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine are proud to sponsor this presentation with Dr. Lynne Siqueland and Dr. Deborah Roth Ledley of the Children's and Adult Center for OCD and Anxiety.

When working with youth with anxiety disorders, it is essential to involve their families. Yet, the level of involvement varies from family to family depending on many factors, including the client's age, level of motivation, comorbidities that increase the complexity of the case, as well as difficulties within the family system. In this intermediate level workshop, three levels of family involvement will be described and guidance will be shared on how to decide which level of involvement is appropriate for each case.

For all families, education about anxiety and its treatment is essential. Treatment is best carried out when all members of the family conceptualize anxiety and its treatment in the same way. The next level of family involvement is coaching. Participants will learn when parents should and should not serve as coaches, and how to teach parents to coach patients through therapy homework effectively. Finally, for some families, interventions are required that address systems-level issues. Some of these issues are independent of anxiety, but many are intricately entwined with the pathology. The workshop will cover difficulties with separation/individuation, nurturing competence, addressing parental anxiety, and teaching effective discipline. These three levels of family involvement will be taught within the framework of cognitive-behavior therapy, with illustrative case examples throughout. Case examples will include young children, middle childhood, and adolescence with the range of anxiety disorders including OCD, separation anxiety, and phobias.

Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate ways to talk to children and families about anxiety and engage parents so that every member of the family feels that they are part of a collaborative team.
   
2. Demonstrate how to use CBT case conceptualization to understand how the anxiety disorder functions within the family context in order to steer treatment planning.
   
3. Illustrate how to work with families about improving relationships around issues of attachment, competence, developing autonomy and competence. Develop ways to address parental pathology, parenting issues, and family conflict as appropriate.
   

Lynne Siqueland, Ph.D., is a psychologist at the Children’s Center for OCD and Anxiety and has been specializing in treating anxiety disorders in children and adolescents for over 20 years. She has extensive experience working with children of all ages beginning in the preschool years with a special interest in transition into adolescence and young adulthood. She also treats adults. Dr. Siqueland received her doctoral degree in the Temple University Clinical Psychology Program under the direction of Dr. Philip Kendall and was a full faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and Center for Psychotherapy Research for 8 years before entering private practice full time.

Dr. Siqueland's clinical work and research publications focus on integrating individual CBT approaches with family work. She works with children, adolescents, and adults to develop a sense of competence and mastery. She has a special interest on collaborating with parents to guide their children to cope with their anxiety, to develop competence and autonomy, and to improve family connection and communication. Dr. Siqueland also enjoys providing training on anxiety and OCD and its treatment for professionals and parents locally and nationally. 

Deborah Roth Ledley, Ph.D., is a psychologist at the Children's Center for OCD and Anxiety, specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto and did postdoctoral training at the Adult Anxiety Clinic of Temple University. Prior to joining the Children’s Center, she was a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania where she worked at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety.

Dr. Ledley has also done extensive research on the nature and treatment of anxiety, publishing over 40 scientific papers and book chapters, as well as three academic books. Her book, Making Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Work, has sold over 7,000 copies and is used as a textbook in many clinical psychology training programs in the United States and Canada. Dr. Ledley also coaches expectant and new mothers, basing her work on her book, Becoming a Calm Mom: How to Manage Stress and Enjoy the First Year of Motherhood.