The Food Allergy Counselor Directory & Behavioral Health Resources
  • Home
  • About
    • Tamara Hubbard, LCPC
    • Consulting & Webinars
  • Counselor Directory
  • FABHN
  • Resources
  • Worksheets
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact

New Tool To Better Understand How Allergies Impact Our Patients' Lives

3/6/2022

0 Comments

 
When an allergic patient or parent of a child managing an allergy reaches out for therapy, it's important for me to learn how the allergy impacts their lives. Sure, they are reaching out because they feel overwhelmed or anxious about their allergy, but that's just the overall picture. And in order to truly help my patients, I need to get a more detailed picture. 
I do this by asking patients to complete the appropriate Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Form as part of their intake paperwork. The responses on this form gives me a solid glimpse into their quality of life, which domains are most impacted, and psychosocial themes that may need adjusting. It's a tool that has helped me more effectively meet my patients' needs and ensure they're feeling understood for years now. 

After sharing these forms during consultation sessions with allergy practices and fellow therapists, it became clear that these tools may be beneficial to others. Therefore, I've decided to offer them to allergy and therapy practitioners, too.

Read on to learn more about how they're beneficial to both patients and providers!
Picture
The Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Forms are premade AND customizable! That means that you don't have to spend time creating them, and can personalize them with your practice's logo and information.

​Versions available:
  • Therapy Practice Version - child, adolescent, adult, parent/caregiver
  • Allergy Practice Version - child, adolescent, adult, parent/caregiver
  • Currently available in paper format; fillable format coming soon
    ​
What are the differences between the therapy and allergy practice versions? 
All four forms are available for both, but questions vary slightly between both versions so that they are more tailored to the scope of the practices.  
​
What Information Does These Forms Gather:
These patient narrative forms allow for detailed responses on themes such as: 
  • Allergy mindset and outlook
  • Anxiety levels and quality of life (QoL) impacts
  • Behavioral changes (i.e. restricted eating patterns, limiting experiences)
  • Impactful memories from previous reactions
  • Epinephrine knowledge and/or fear of use
  • Allergy care guidelines being implemented
  • Sources used to learn allergy information
  • Allergy impacts in various domains
  • How patients manage their allergy well
  • What information will help patients decrease anxiety/increase QoL
    ​
Benefits of Using These Forms in Therapy Practices: 
  • Premade and customizable for your practice​
  • ​​One form gathers anxiety-related QoL, anxiety and functioning information
  • Patient narrative format helps with treatment goal planning
  • Patient may feel more comfortable sharing this information initially in writing
  • Potential networking tool with allergy practices - helps allergists identify patients who may benefit from therapeutic support to positively impact QoL
    ​
Benefits of Using These Forms in Allergy Practices: 
  • ​Premade and customizable for your practice
  • One form gathers anxiety-related QoL, anxiety and functioning information
  • Opportunity for patients to feel heard/more easily express allergy struggles
  • Helps identify patients' allergy knowledge gaps or inaccurate information
  • Helps assess potential need for allied health services (i.e. therapist, dietitian)
  • Identifies themes to reassess/revisit with patients in future appointments
​
Suggestions/Tips For Use:
  • For All - Give to patients as part of intake paperwork process
  • For Allergy Practices - If allergist is unable to review due to time constraints, consider having another team member review and share main points​


Narrative Versus Validated Patient Forms?
It's like comparing apples and oranges - both are fruit, but different kinds. Both narrative and validated forms gather valuable patient information, but in different manners. 

Validated assessments, such as the Survey of Food Allergy Anxiety (SOFAA), typically assess functioning and impacts that helps drive diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Patient narrative forms, such as these Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Forms, primarily gather information to aid in understanding the whole patient. While they may also be used to help determine treatment decisions, their primary purpose is gathering information that helps to facilitate conversations and problem-solve with patients. 
[The images above show the Parent/Caregiver - Therapy Practice version]
Visit the "Worksheets" page to check out and learn more about these Food Allergy Psychosocial Information Forms​, and don't hesitate to reach out with questions!

Special introductory pricing is available through March 31, 2022, and there will always be a discount for purchasing the package, which includes all 4 forms. 

Direct URL to the Worksheets page: www.FoodAllergyAnxiety.com​
Picture
0 Comments

Tips for managing oral food challenge anxiety

4/19/2021

0 Comments

 
You've likely heard the term "oral food challenge" mentioned by your allergist or in online food allergy support groups. But if you haven't, here's a quick primer from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology on oral food challenges:
What is an oral food challenge?
An oral food challenge (OFC), or feeding test, is a medical procedure in which a food is eaten slowly, in gradually increasing amounts, under medical supervision, to accurately diagnose or rule out a true food allergy.

​
What are the reasons to perform an OFC?
OFCs are usually done when a careful medical history and allergy tests, such as skin and blood tests, are inconclusive. The OFC is a more definitive test because it will show whether the food ingested produces no symptoms or triggers a reaction.

Oral Food Challenge (OFC) Anxiety and Worry:
Given that during oral food challenges you are eating a food that you may potentially be allergic to or have previously been allergic to, it's no surprise that you may feel anxious and worried in anticipation of that appointment - many do. Our mind wants to keep us safe, so an oral food challenge can feel like a potential threat to our mind when we think about it. Therefore, it's normal and appropriate to experience anxiety about oral food challenges. However, it's important to remember that you don't need to interpret that anxiety to mean that the oral food challenge will result in the worst case scenario. 
What Helps OFC Anxiety and Worry? 
When you experience increased anticipatory anxiety - that is, anxiety about a future event, it can be helpful to prepare for the event in order to to increase readiness and decrease fear.

​Here is a brief list of ways to prepare ahead of time for your or your child's oral food challenge: 
  • Purpose/Process: Do you understand the purpose and process for the oral food challenge? It's important to have a good understanding of these things before the actual appointment, so reach out to your allergist if you're unsure. 
  • Information: What other questions do you or your child have about the food challenge? Will you reach out to your allergist ahead of time to ask these questions? If not, what reputable sources can provide this information? 
  • Motivation: Connect with your motivation for doing the food challenge, whether it's for yourself or your child. Reconnecting with hope and thinking about what you may gain from doing the challenge can help when feeling nervous. 
  • Thoughts/Feelings: Notice what thoughts and feelings you're having about the food challenge. How do they make your body feel? If your child is doing the food challenge, help them notice and explore their thoughts and feelings, too. Develop a list of empowering replies to these thoughts such as "I can do hard things!" or "The allergist and nurses know what they're doing!"
  • Calming Strategies: Practice some calming strategies ahead of time so that you're familiar with them for the appointment. Here are a couple of simple calming strategies you can try: 
    • For teens or adults (Square or Box Breathing) - Exhale to a count of 4, then hold for a 4 count. Inhale to a count of 4, then hold air in your lungs for a count of 4. Exhale and repeat the pattern. 
    • For kids (Cupcake & Candle Breathing) - Inhale like you're smelling a yummy cupcake, and then exhale like you're blowing out the candle on it. Repeat as many times as necessary. 
    • 5-4-3-2-1 Activity - Notice 5 things you can see. Notice 4 things you can touch. Notice 3 things you can hear. Notice 2 things you can smell. Notice 1 thing you can taste. This helps stay present-focused rather than worrying about future things. 
  • Logistics Preparation: What do you need to bring with to the oral food challenge appointment. Create a list of food items you may need (i.e. allergen, food to put allergen in for consumption) and fun or distracting games or activities. If the food challenge is for your child, have them help you brainstorm game or toy ideas for the appointment. Also be sure to bring along any comforting items that may help decrease anxiety and increase calm. 
Additional Resources and Tips to Help Manage OFC Anxiety
PODCAST EPISODE:
​Be sure to listen to Episode 14 of Exploring Food Allergy Families called, "Tips for Managing Oral Food Challenge Anxiety & Worry". In this episode, fellow allergy-informed therapist Fawn McNeil-Haber, PhD and I discuss helpful strategies for navigating oral food challenges. We offer preparation tips and guidance on navigating anxiety and mindsets prior to and during the food challenge. Here are specific topics we explore in this episode: 
  • Strategies to navigate nerves during the actual OFC appointment
  • The importance of having a mantra
  • Tips to help determine anxiety versus allergic reaction sensations
  • How far in advance to tell your child about an OFC 
  • Tips to encourage readiness and decrease anxiety for kids, teens, parents and adults
  • Answering the question "How does the allergist know what's happening in my body?"
  • A fun idea parents can prepare for the actual appointment

​You can listen via your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes!
Picture

​ORAL FOOD CHALLENGE PREPARATION WORKSHEETS: 
Check out these Oral Food Challenge worksheets which help prepare before the appointment, offer helpful reminders for the day of, and prompts for processing after the food challenge. (There are separate worksheets for kids and teens/adults). 

You can find these worksheets on the Therapeutic Worksheets page here on the Food Allergy Counselor website. 
Picture
Picture
Picture

Hopefully reading this and checking out the podcast, worksheets and other resources offers you some reassurance that oral food challenge-related anxiety is normal and manageable. Don't hesitate to reach out and let me know if these tips have helped you or your patients, or to share tips of your own! And if you're looking for an allergy-informed therapist in your state (many of whom provide telehealth to residents of their state), visit the Food Allergy Counselor Directory. 

You can connect with me on Twitter (@TherapistTamara and @FACounselor), Instagram (@TherapistTamara & @FoodAllergyCounselor) and Facebook (@FoodAllergyCounselor and @TamaraHubbardLCPC).

Thanks for reading!
Picture
0 Comments

The Managing Food Allergy WorrY Worksheet

2/18/2021

0 Comments

 
One of the most common questions I see being asked within the food allergy community is:

​ "How do I help my son or daughter with their food allergy anxiety or worry?"
The answer to that question isn't simplistic, as there are likely many factors  contributing to the anxiety or worry. But at the core of the answer is the advice to help their child better understand the worry in order to develop strategies to help effectively manage it. 

What exactly is worry? 

The terms "anxiety", "worry", and "fear" are often used interchangeably. So do they mean the same thing? No, but they are definitely related. 
Picture

​Whereas anxiety typically stems from the uncertainty, unpredictability and  unknown about future situations, worry is the thinking part of anxiety. It's what often leads our minds to dwelling on worst case scenarios, the "what ifs", or leads us into a thinking trap known as "catastrophizing".  

Whether our worry is triggered by anxiety about the future or fear due to a threat in the here-and-now, it can lead us down the rabbit hole of thoughts. This may then trigger uncomfortable emotions and physical sensations, which often convinces us even more that our worried thoughts must be valid!

What helps to manage worrY? 

There are a variety of therapeutic approaches to help people learn to manage or navigate life with their anxiety or worry. Whether through basic psychoeducation, or strategies based on approaches stemming from evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, or exposure therapy, the goals are typically to help people change negative thought patterns, learn relaxation or grounding skills, and change behaviors that lead to the distressing impacts or outcomes.

The Managing Food Allergy Worries Worksheet

The following 3-page therapeutic worksheet was created to help older kids, teens, and even adults begin to address their food allergy-related worries. The goal of the worksheet is to help you identify practical strategies that effectively help you break free from those worry traps. It encourages getting to know more about the thoughts that fuel the worry. It also guides you to notice how the worry makes you feel physically since anxiety and worry often bring on physical sensations that may even trick you into thinking you're having an allergic reaction. 
Picture
Find this 3-page therapeutic worksheet on the Worksheets page!

​[Disclaimer: This therapeutic activity is meant to help understand and manage worries, but is not meant to take the place of counseling. Please reach out to a licensed clinical mental healthcare provider if you feel that your anxiety or worry is impacting your life in a way that feels unmanageable on your own. You can locate an allergy-informed therapist in your state via the Food Allergy Counselor Directory.]

RELATED Helpful Resources:

  • Food Allergy Thinking Traps - therapeutic worksheet
  • Food Allergy Mindset Matters - therapeutic worksheet
  • I.D.E.A.L. Problem-Solving - therapeutic worksheet
  • 5 Tips for Parents with Kids Experiencing Food Allergy Anxiety
  • Allergic Living's Food Allergy Anxiety Guide
  • FAC's Food Allergy Mental Health Resource page
  • Exploring Food Allergy Families podcast episodes - season 2 coming soon!

Thanks for reading,

Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous
    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!

    Connect with Tamara
    on Facebook via
    ​
    Tamara Hubbard, LCPC counseling page

    Archives

    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
    Advocacy
    Allergy Anxiety Tools
    Allergy Informed Therapists
    Allergy-Informed Therapists
    Allergy Tools
    Anaphylaxis
    Anxiety
    CBT
    Community
    Coping
    Coronavirus Anxiety
    Counseling
    Empowerment
    FAAW
    Family
    Food Allergy Management
    Food Allergy Worksheets
    Guilt
    Kids
    Mindfulness
    Mindset
    Parenting
    Podcast
    Relationships
    Resilience
    Siblings
    Survey Results
    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

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from rawpixel.com
  • Home
  • About
    • Tamara Hubbard, LCPC
    • Consulting & Webinars
  • Counselor Directory
  • FABHN
  • Resources
  • Worksheets
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact