What's Covered in Module 1
This week, we will introduce you to the self-help materials on this website provided in the “LUNA” program and teach you about anxiety.
You will read information, watch videos, complete a checklist of worries and fears your child struggles with, and set goals for the program. Your child will also have readings, videos, and worksheets to complete, which can be done on their own or with your help based on their learning style and reading level. We recommend you start by reading the child/teen materials together.
This module will take about 30 minutes to complete readings, watch videos, and complete activities. We encourage you to take breaks and come back to the material as much as you need.
LUNA (Learning to Understand and Navigate Anxiety): Online parent-led cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety in children
Welcome! The information in this module is based on the LUNA program, which is a family-based, online treatment program to help children manage and overcome their anxiety. It is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, the most scientifically supported treatment for anxiety in youth, which involves identifying and changing unhelpful anxious thoughts and behaviors. We have tested this self-help material along with therapist support in research studies, which show that it can be valuable in helping your child with anxiety.
LUNA is a parent or caregiver-led treatment, which means that we teach you how to lead the treatment by doing activities with your child. In LUNA, the parent/caregiver-child relationship is like that of a coach and a trainee working together as a team to tackle the common challenge.
The goal of LUNA is to teach skills that can help children manage their anxiety and enjoy the things they would like to enjoy. Like anything new, learning to manage anxiety takes time and can be challenging. But this is an incredibly valuable skill for children that can help them throughout their lives!
Why do we use a cognitive-behavioral approach?
You might wonder, why does LUNA take a cognitive-behavioral approach? Lots of research has shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, is the “gold standard” for treating anxiety in kids. In other words, many high-quality scientific studies show that CBT helps most children feel less anxious, so they can go about their day and enjoy the things they would like to enjoy.
We don’t want to get too technical here, but if you are interested, you can learn more about CBT in general.
