Claire Freeland and Jacqueline Toner are clinical psychologists in Baltimore, Maryland, with more than 30 years each in private practice working with children and parents. This book comes from Magination Press of the American Psychological Association. Written for children ages 6 – 12, it includes an introduction for parents and caregivers.
The authors explain the difference between shyness and social anxiety.
"Children who enter unfamiliar social situations with some wariness or who are self-conscious when they perceive they are being evaluated by others are considered shy. This mild to moderate degree of shyness is characteristic of many children. . . . Children with social anxiety, on the other hand, are significantly fearful and embarrassed in social evaluative situations, so much so that they experience high distress or avoid these settings altogether."
The book is designed to guide children to greater comfort in social settings using a cognitive-behavioral approach.
In clear language, the authors talk with children about their feelings of shyness, giving specific examples like not wanting to raise your hand in school or to go to a party. They encourage children to draw pictures of times they felt too shy; in another exercise, they are asked to identify how they feel in their body. There are checklists to work with and lists to make, such as confident thoughts to use. In one exercise, children are to list things or situations that make them anxious with the hardest thing at the top of a ladder and the least hard at the bottom. As they work their way up the ladder, the authors say reassuringly, they will discover that "the steps further up start to look easier than they did at first."
This book is full of ways to practice, including checking off multiple choice answers to situations. How might a child respond to being called "wimpy" or being bumped at the water fountain? Another section has children identifying the ways they can relax, making lists of how to move, what to make, how to connect, and how to chill.
Janet McDonnell's illustrations throughout use a circus theme for chapters on Clowning Around; Lion Taming; In the Spotlight; Up, Up and Away; House of Mirrors; The Ringmaster; Expect the Unexpected; and Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Show.
