Let's do this!

Let's do this!

I present in-person and virtual workshops for teens, parents, schools, therapists, and others willing to learn and needing support.

Workshops

School Personnel

Anxiety is the most common mental health issue in both adults and teens. It’s impossible to work in a school setting and not have anxious families and students show up needing your help. The demand for knowledgable school personnel is high, and it’s important to be using the most effective, active, and researched-based strategies that do not inadvertently heighten anxiety and reinforce anxious behaviors.

This workshop will focus on how to get school personnel engaged from the start with an active approach that is direct, skill-based, and works to decrease accommodations and safety behaviors. 

Parents

Common ways that parents and other adults try to alleviate a teen's anxiety can often end up reinforcing these very patterns. 

Kara educates parents on how to identify their teen’s anxiety and gives practical and alternative approaches to increase self-confidence and decrease levels of avoidant behaviors.

*I am proud to be trained in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and related problems.

Students

The way we educate teens about best practices to navigate uncomfortable, unpredictable and uncertain times plays a crucial role in determining if they will develop anxiety or depression in their future. 

This workshop will demonstrate HOW to interrupt the cognitive tricks that anxiety can play while providing practical tools and strategies so teens can feel empowered to navigate their life with confidence and courage. 


I enjoy creating programming individually tailored to meet the needs of the audience. Content can include but is not limited to the following topics:

  • Navigating anxiety in the classroom, home, and other environments

  • Coping with uncertainty and the unknown

  • Navigating challenging relationships

  • Strategies to deal with perfectionism

  • Low self-esteem and self-confidence

  • Effectively communicating emotional needs to others

  • Identifying differences between anxiety/OCD

  • Understanding current treatments for anxiety/OCD

  • Supporting anxious parents

  • BFRBs (Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors): how to identify and what to do next

  • When to seek help

  • How to find a good therapist

“I invited Kara to speak to my staff about mental health. Her conversation went beyond what you can read in a book as she shared some of the ‘real’ thoughts and feelings that kids have when they are struggling. This allowed my staff to have a much deeper understanding of how mental health disorders impact the students we work with. My staff gave Kara rave reviews and shared that her presentation was invaluable to their work.”.

MINDY GROSSMANN

Program Manager, CHADS Coalition St. Louis