About this resource
Sharing a worry can make it feel smaller. Children write or draw a worry, post it in a worry box and choose something helpful to do. Teachers read worries privately and respond, following up any concerns about safety.
Purpose
To give children a safe way to share worries and practise coping.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Educators and school support staff. Also relevant for counsellors and therapists, youth workers.
Client or participant group: Primary school children.
Practice setting: Classrooms, wellbeing programs and small groups.
Suggested uses
- Wellbeing programs
- Transition times
- Small groups
- Classroom routines
Instructions for practitioners
- Explain that worries will be read by the teacher privately.
- Respond to worries in a timely way.
- Follow child safety procedures if a worry suggests risk of harm.
- Do not promise secrecy.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Write or draw your worry.
- Post it in the worry box.
- Choose something helpful to do.
Accessibility considerations
Children can draw. Adults can scribe.
Scope and limitations
A classroom wellbeing activity. It does not replace wellbeing referral or child safety procedures.
Research basis
Scheduling worry and shifting from abstract to concrete thinking are supported strategies for reducing unhelpful worry and rumination. School-based social and emotional learning programs improve students' social skills, behaviour and academic results. Young people are more likely to seek help when they know where to go, trust the person and feel less stigma.
- Borkovec, T., Wilkinson, L., Folensbee, R., & Lerman, C. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(3), 247–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(83)90206-1
- Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
- Rickwood, D., Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2005). Young people’s help-seeking for mental health problems. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4(3), 218–251. https://doi.org/10.5172/jamh.4.3.218
- Watkins, E. R. (2008). Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 163–206. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.163
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
