Resources
Websites
Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens: A Workbook to Break Thought Habits That Are Holding You Back Online
A web page for this book is set up with some accessory materials at http://www.newharbinger.com/38891, including:
- Audio recordings of “Be Mindful of the Moment,” a mindfulness meditation, and an “I Can Try!” exercise that addresses the “I can’t” habit
- Handouts of the Nine Thinking Habits and A Handy List of Challenge Questions
- Worksheets illustrating cognitive behavior therapy
Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT)
ACT supports a web page that provides professionals and parents with book and article resources on assessment and treatment.
American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Stress in America Survey
http://www.stressinamerica.org
The APA has been conducting annual surveys since 2007 measuring stress across the country. The surveys report the leading sources of stress, common behaviors used to manage stress, and the impact of stress on the lives of adults, children, and teens. The connections between mind and body are highlighted. The 2010 and 2013 surveys focus particular attention on teen stress.
American Psychological Association (APA) Psychology Help Center
The APA’s help center offers the general public information, tip sheets, and resources on a variety of mental health and mind-body issues.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
ADAA is an international organization “dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety, depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and trauma-related disorders through education, practice, and research.” Explore tabs including “Understand the Facts,” which contains information on various disorders, and “Live and Thrive,” where you will find tips and tools for teens.
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
ABCT is an organization committed to investigating and applying evidence-based behavioral, cognitive, and other approaches to treating psychological problems. Two particular sections are of interest: “Get Information” and “Find Help.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/adolescenthealth/publications.htm
This CDC web page provides a list of publications and other resources focused on adolescent health and mental health.
Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI)
The CCI is an Australian public health organization that posts various treatment modules. Of particular interest are a series on anxiety and a lesson on behavioral activation.
- Mastering your Worries: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=46
- Behavioral Activation: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/ACFB003.pdf
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a website with numerous resources and, under the “Find Help & Treatment” tab, hotline numbers and other sources of help.
Apps
CBT Tools for Kids
CBT Tools for Kids is an app for Apple devices that helps teens become more aware of—and better manage—their feelings through the use of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) skills. Teens monitor their thoughts and emotional states, identify situational triggers, increase their awareness of body sensations, learn how their emotions change over time, and learn to use tools such as relaxation and positive action to manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Virtual Hope Box
Though originally designed by the Department of Defense for military personnel and their families, this free app is available to the general public for Apple and Android devices. It’s a helpful tool for teens to use to supplement treatment. The app provides relaxation audios, a place to store media that can support you or help lift your mood, positive messages, and coping statements. A clinician’s guide and a user’s guide are available at http://t2health.dcoe.mil/apps/virtual-hope-box.
CDs and Digital Downloads
Alvord, M. K., B. Zucker, and B. Alvord. Relaxation and Self-Regulation Techniques for Children and Teens: Mastering the Mind-Body Connection. Champaign, IL: Research Press, 2011.
This CD offers teens a variety of strategies that can support their efforts to change thought habits. The recordings help listeners increase awareness of their thoughts and physiological reactions to situations. Listeners have the opportunity to practice the skills as they go. Recordings include “Self-Talk” and “Mindfulness,” as well as recordings to calm and regulate the mind and body through visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, and calm and attentive breathing. The majority of the scripts are based on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and some borrow from Eastern traditions of meditation. The CD tracks are also available as individual digital downloads from Amazon and iTunes.
Alvord, M. K., B. Zucker, and B. Alvord. Relaxation and Wellness Techniques: Mastering the Mind-Body Connection. Champaign, IL: Research Press, 2013.
This CD is a helpful resource to support the efforts of noticing and making changes to thinking habits. Targeted toward older teens and adults, this CD provides ten recordings with CBT techniques and meditative tracks to help achieve a sense of calm and quiet the mind. For example, a recording titled “Challenging Your Catastrophic Thoughts” specifically addresses anxious “what if” thinking and leads the listener through the process of questioning the unhelpful thoughts. Visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing approaches, mindfulness, and Eastern meditation practices round out the CD, which is also available for download from Amazon and iTunes.
Further Reading
Antony, M., and R. Swinson. Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven, Step-by-Step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2008.
———. When Perfect Isn’t Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2008.
Burns, D. D. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.
Duckworth, A. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York: Scribner, 2016.
Dweck, C. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books, 2006.
Vo, D. Z. The Mindful Teen: Powerful Skills to Help You Handle Stress One Moment at a Time. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2015.
Mary Karapetian Alvord, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with more than thirty-five years of clinical experience, and is director of Alvord, Baker & Associates. She specializes in treating children, adolescents, and adults using cognitive behavior therapies. A central focus is children and teens with depression, anxiety disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other emotional and behavioral regulation problems. She is adjunct associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and is a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. She is coauthor of Resilience Builder Program and the audio recordings, Relaxation and Self-Regulation Techniques for Children and Teens and Relaxation and Wellness Techniques (for adults).
Anne McGrath, MA, is executive editor of publications at U.S. News & World Report, where she has written and edited on subjects from health and mental health to investing and education for over thirty years. She is currently responsible for three of the publisher’s signature guidebooks: Best Graduate Schools, Best Colleges, and Best Hospitals. She is also original editor of several books on getting into law school and medical school. She holds her master’s in journalism from Syracuse University.
