I enjoyed the specificity of the ideas presented in the Gosch et al. article regarding the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in children. The article provided various concrete ideas that can be broadly applied to clinical work with youth across age groups. I particularly resonated with the theme of coping instead of avoidance. As providers, it is imperative for us to provide children and their caregivers with the tools to face their anxiety, instead of running away from it, as this will only exacerbate the issues in the long run. This connects to our discussion in class about explaining to kids that we cannot make their anxiety "go away" but we can help them manage it. I especially appreciated the discussion of youth are excessively seek reassurance; constantly providing them with this reassurance may be a short-term bandaid fix, but it is not a realistic sustainable solution as it only feeds their anxiety in the long run. Instead, children need to be able to recognize and sit with uncertainty/discomfort, using skills such as relaxation and positive self-talk to get through these difficult feelings.
I also was interested in the authors' discussion of parenting styles associated with anxiety and the co-created dynamics between children and their parents. I sometimes encounter families whose problems are so complex, as the children and parents have fallen into enabling patterns for so many years that they are blind to the way in which they are both maintaining the other's problems.