Let’s look at how Sally thinks about reducing her fix-its:
Sally repeatedly washes her hands to keep them from getting contaminated - way more than what is recommended and to the point that her hands are turning red. When a fear causes a fix-it like this, the mission plan needs to gradually help the child stop their fix-it. This is called “response prevention.” The resulting mission plan works to change the way something is done or the number of times it is done. For example, to tackle her excessive handwashing due to her fear of germs, Sally used the following steps in her mission plan:
- Wash my hands for 1 minute before eating
- Wash my hands for 30 seconds only once per hour
- Wash my hands for 30 seconds only after I eat or go to the bathroom
- Wash my hands without my favorite soap before eating
- Wash my hands without my favorite hand sanitizer before eating
- Touch a public restroom doorknob and washing for thirty seconds
This approach of response prevention is also important to use when developing mission plans to tackle issues like perfectionism or excessive reassurance seeking.
Here is a list of common fix-its:
- Washing too much
- Checking too much (like locks or behind doors, or where exits are)
- Asking too many questions about fears
- Spending lots of time researching fears on the Internet
- Carrying a special object everywhere
- Distracting myself so I do not think about my fears
- Always having a phone with me
Can you think of any other fix-its?
In the child modules this week, we will ask you to work with your child to identify fix-its they use and incorporate them into their mission plans.
