THE FOOD ALLERGY COUNSELOR DIRECTORY & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES
  • Home
  • Counselor Directory
  • Psychosocial Resources
  • Podcast
  • Worksheets
  • Blog
  • FA Behavioral Health Network
  • Consulting/Webinars
  • Allergy Counseling Niche Info
    • Allergy Counseling Info for Patients
    • Allergy Counseling Info for Therapy Providers
    • Allergy Counseling Info for Allergists
  • About
    • About The Food Allergy Counselor, Inc.
    • About Founder, Tamara Hubbard, LCPC
  • Contact

Food Allergy Awareness Week Day 5: Problem-Solving w/Food Allergy Fear

5/16/2019

0 Comments

 

Day 5: The I.D.E.A.L Method

Imagine this scenario.....
​
Your daughter comes home from the first day of school saying she made a new friend, and she's been invited to the friend's house to play the next day. 


You're thrilled that she's made a new friend and has a smile ear-to-ear. BUT, you've never let her go to a friend's house without you, let alone to someone's house whose mother you've not yet met. You want to let her go and play, but your fear is keeping you hostage. The "what ifs" are playing loud and on repeat in your head, making it hard for you to think straight!
When you need to make a decision, but your emotions are taking over, having a problem-solving tool to help navigate the scenario can be beneficial.

That's where the I.D.E.A.L. Method comes in! This technique helps define the main problem in a situation, and guides you through creating and evaluating solutions. Essentially, it helps you look at things more objectively.
Picture

Applying the I.D.E.A.L. Method to the scenario above might look like this....

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM:
(Describe it with detail - have you had similar scenarios before?)
  • You might say “I’m too scared to let my child go to a play date at a new friend's house, but she really wants to go, and I would like to let her, if I could just get past the worry.”
DEFINE YOUR GOALS:
(What would you like to happen? You’ll need to sort through the feelings in order to make a tangible goal)
  • You might say “I need to determine if there’s true risk for her playing at her friend’s house, and I need to decide whether I can become comfortable with her going. Also, should I stay the whole time? What things need to be in place for me to feel okay with this?"
EXPLORE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
(What solutions are there? Which is best? Is it safe? List the pro/cons of each).
  • I can talk to the mom ahead of time about safe foods, how to use epi, and let my daughter go and stay without me
  • I can talk to the mom ahead of time and stay for the first 15 minutes until my daughter and I both feel comfortable, then leave
  • We can invite her new friend to play at our house
ACT ON IT:
(Pick one of the solutions and try it)
  • I talked to the mom ahead of time about my daughter’s allergy, packed our own snacks, reviewed the epi pen with the mom, and stayed for the first 15 minutes until my daughter and I were both comfortable enough for me to leave.
LOOK BACK:
(Did it work? If not, what will you do differently next time?)

Benefits of the I.D.E.A.L. Method....
  • This is an easy-to-use tool that you can use yourself, teach to your child/teen, or even use as a family when there's a decision needing to be made; 
  • It aids in balancing the emotions and the facts - essentially helping you become "unstuck". 
  • By using this tool, it helps decrease the power of the fearful emotions, and increase the focus on where you DO have control or impact in a situation. 
Picture
(If sharing this image, please be sure the logo is visible and The Food Allergy Counselor and/or Tamara Hubbard, LCPC are credited)

Find the Therapeutic PDF Worksheet version Here

​If you find yourself needing support for food allergy-related psychosocial impacts, locate a food allergy-knowledgeable clinical behavioral healthcare provider 
via the Food Allergy Counselor Directory.


0 Comments

Food Allergy Awareness Week Day 4: Food Allergy Anxiety Resources

5/15/2019

0 Comments

 

Day 4: Food Allergy Anxiety Resources

Picture
Anxiety isn't necessarily a bad feeling. Neither is stress. They can be useful feelings, driving us to problem-solve, power through roadblocks, or evaluate risk/safety levels in any given scenario.

However, when we assign a negative meaning to it, that's when we interpret it as an emotion that drags us down. If we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or stress, find that it's negatively impacting our daily lives, or that it's leading to avoidance behaviors and the inability to function with balance, then it may be time to reach out to a licensed clinical behavioral health or counseling professional. 

But if you're looking for ways to address these emotions on your own, below is a brief, yet comprehensive list of CBT and other evidence-based resources to help kids/teens and adults/parents learn how to manage anxiety related to food allergies, asthma, eczema, or EoE. While not food allergy-specific, these concepts and resources are still useful in this context. (Find additional Food Allergy Mental Health-Related Resources here).

General Resources About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Anxiety:
  • Self-Help: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - (adult article) - Anxiety Canada
  • ​CBT Articles & Videos - (adult articles/videos) - Anxiety Canada
  • Managing Worry & Anxiety for Kids - (children's video) - Flocabulary​
  • Fight, Flight or Freeze - (children's video) - Anxiety Canada

Resources for Children/Preteens/Teens:​
  • 5 Tips for Parents of Kids w/Food Allergy Anxiety - (article) 
    Written ​by Tamara Hubbard, MA LCPC 
  • What to Do When You Worry Too Much -Dawn Huebner, PhD - (workbook) Hands-on workbook for kids 6-12 years old and their parent/caregiver
  • ​Outsmarting Worry by Dawn Huebner, PhD - (workbook) - For 9-13 y.o.
  • Child Therapist's Favorite Resources for Calming Anxiety in Kids - (list)​List of kid-tested strategies used by child therapists for calming anxiety
  • Canada Anxiety Youth - (website) - Multiple resources for teens
  • Anxiety in Youth - (article & video for teens) - Anxiety Canada
  • My Anxiety Plan (MAP) for Children & Teens - (learning module)
    My Anxiety Plan (MAP) is an anxiety management program based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) offered by Anxiety Canada. Within these modules, you and your child will learn about anxious thoughts/feelings/behaviors, how to identify them, how to address them, and calming strategies. It provides parents/caretakers with actionable items to implement with your child or teen. 

Resources for Adults: 
  • The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling & Start Living by Russ Harris - (book) - This empowering book presents  the insights and techniques of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - an extension of CBT), a revolutionary new psychotherapy based on cutting-edge research in behavioral psychology.
  • Mindfulness & Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety by Forsyth/Eifert, PhD - (workbook) - This ACT-based self-help workbook helps adults become unstuck from their anxiety/fear, and learn how to move towards an emotional balance.
  • My Anxiety Plan (MAP) for Adults - (learning module)
    My Anxiety Plan (MAP) is an anxiety management program based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) offered by Anxiety Canada. It is designed to provide adults struggling with anxiety with practical strategies and tools to manage anxiety. MAP includes 6 easy to navigate units with 45 lessons.
    ​
​​Resource for Parents: 
WEBINAR by Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC:
Parenting w/Food Allergies: Understanding Anxiety & Developing Resilient Mindset
(Find an easy-to-share PDF w/embedded links to resources related to this webinar below):
Parenting w/Food Allergies: Understanding Anxiety & Building a Resilient Mindset (clickable PDF))
File Size: 129 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


**UPDATED TO ADD**
The Latest Food Allergy Anxiety Resources (FAC blog, 10/19)

If you find yourself needing support for food allergy-related psychosocial impacts, locate a food allergy-knowledgeable clinical behavioral healthcare provider
via the Food Allergy Counselor Directory.


0 Comments

Food Allergy Awareness Week Day 3: Thinking Traps

5/14/2019

0 Comments

 

Day 3: Common Thinking Traps

Picture
We should trust our own thoughts at all times, right? Not exactly. Sometimes our brain plays tricks on us. 

Cognitive distortions are thought patterns that cause us to perceive reality through a skewed perception - usually a negative one. These thinking errors then often trigger feelings of pessimism. Those feelings of pessimism, over time, can give way to increased levels of anxiety and sadness. It's literally a domino effect! 

But how do you know if you've been falling into thinking traps? Below are nine common cognitive distortions with a food allergy spin. Do you find yourself commonly using one....or more? 
Picture

Find the thinking traps therapeutic worksheet here

​​This list of thinking traps isn't a complete one - here are additional cognitive distortions. So now that you've identified which food allergy-related thinking traps you typically fall into, what can you do about it? 

Challenge Them - This is exactly as it sounds. You're going to challenge your thoughts to a duel! Think of yourself as a private investigator, whose job it is to find evidence to confirm that the negative thoughts in your brain aren't true. That evidence then becomes the weapon you'll use to fight back against the negative thoughts. In the emotional reasoning example where the faulty thought is "If I feel incapable of managing food allergies, then I must be incapable!", you're looking for evidence to support the opposite - that you're more capable than you think. Even if the evidence isn't food allergy-specific, it's still applicable. (Here is a brief video from University of Toronto on challenging thinking traps, and a helpful chart to use to help you challenge cognitive distortions).

Self-Talk - Once you've identified the thinking traps and attempted to challenge them, you'll want to create positive self-talk. (Yes, it's okay to talk to yourself, either aloud or in your own head). Even after you've challenged your stinking thinking, that negative internal dialogue may return; therefore, you'll want to fight back with self-statements that allow you to feel capable, empowered, and resilient. You may have to fake it until you make it with your self-talk initially, but eventually, you'll retrain your brain to believe it! (Try these positive self-statements on for size: "Even if my child has a reaction, I am prepared, capable, and ready to handle it." Or "It's okay to feel scared; I don't have to judge myself or let others' judgments make me feel bad.")


Worth Reading: 
  • 10 Thinking Errors That Will Crush Your Mental Strength - Psychology Today, January 2015
  • Cognitive Distortions: When Your Brain Lies to You - Positive Psychology Program
  • ​FAAW Day 1 (support groups) and Day 2 (mindset)
  • 5 Reminders for Parents of Kids w/Food Allergy Anxiety - Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC
  • Food Allergy Mental Health & Counseling Resources (Food Allergy Counselor)

----Read all seven Food Allergy Awareness Week tips here!---
(Please feel free to share this image, as long as the logo is still visible. If you'd find it easier to have any of the Food Allergy Awareness Week images or PDFs emailed to you so that you can share them with your organization, please reach out via the Contact page.)

(If you find yourself needing support for food allergy-related psychosocial impacts, locate a food allergy-knowledgeable clinical behavioral healthcare provider via the Food Allergy Counselor Directory.)
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Follow FAC on Twitter or Instagram, or on Facebook on the Food Allergy Counselor Directory  page to get updates on the FAC Directory, blog or resources. And connect with FAC creator Tamara on Twitter or Instagram!

    Picture
    Listen to & subscribe to the Exploring Food Allergy Families podcast!

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018


    Categories

    All
    4 Things Series
    ACT Skills
    Adult Allergies
    Advocacy
    Allergy Anxiety Tools
    Allergy Dads
    Allergy Education
    Allergy Informed Therapists
    Allergy-Informed Therapists
    Allergy Moms
    Allergy Tools
    Anaphylaxis
    Anxiety
    Building Confidence
    CBT
    Community
    Compassion & Self Compassion
    Coping
    Coronavirus Anxiety
    Counseling
    Emotions
    Empowerment
    FAAW
    Family
    Fears
    Food Allergy Management
    Food Allergy Worksheets
    Guest Bloggers
    Guilt
    Kids
    Mindfulness
    Mindset
    OIT & OFC
    Parenting
    Personal Stories
    Podcast
    Podcast & Webinars
    Relationships
    Resilience
    Siblings
    Support Groups
    Survey Results
    Teen Allergies
    Treatment
    Updates Or News


    Picture
    Don't miss a blog post! Subscribe below: 

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Subscribe to FAC via reader

FAC Resources

FAC Directory
FAC Blog
Exploring FA Families Podcast
​Therapy Worksheets
​
​Sign up for FAC emails!

For THERAPY Providers

FA Behavioral Health Network
Allergy Psychosocial Intake Forms
Contact FAC
ALLERGY COUNSELING 
Patient/Community Info
Therapy Provider Info
Allergists/Healthcare Info

About

​About The FAC, Inc.
About FAC Founder
Consulting & Webinars
Terms of Use
Copyright © 2018-2022 The Food Allergy Counselor, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Photo used under Creative Commons from rawpixel.com
  • Home
  • Counselor Directory
  • Psychosocial Resources
  • Podcast
  • Worksheets
  • Blog
  • FA Behavioral Health Network
  • Consulting/Webinars
  • Allergy Counseling Niche Info
    • Allergy Counseling Info for Patients
    • Allergy Counseling Info for Therapy Providers
    • Allergy Counseling Info for Allergists
  • About
    • About The Food Allergy Counselor, Inc.
    • About Founder, Tamara Hubbard, LCPC
  • Contact