Becoming Brave FAQ
Q: Who should come to Becoming Brave?
A: Becoming Brave is designed for parents or caregivers of children ages 4-18 with worry or fear in at least one area, who want to know how best to help their children overcome their fears. It is recommended that 2 caregivers attend, but this is not a requirement. This could be both parents, a parent & a grandparent, or a parent and another person who regularly cares for the child.
Q: How do I know if Becoming Brave is relevant?
A: Worries and fears (aka anxiety) impact 10-20% of all children, often stopping them from doing things that they would like to do or that their parents think they should do. Fears can be very specific (e.g. heights, dogs, shots), predictable in certain situations (e.g. being separated from a parent or caregiver either during the day or at night, feeling uncomfortable in social or performance situations), or very general (e.g. worrying about the future, making mistakes, safety, cleanliness).
Becoming Brave could be helpful when your child:
- Has trouble sleeping (or falling asleep) on his or her own at night
- Is often fearful of social situations involving unfamiliar people, very shy and “slow to warm up” to the point where it is difficult for him or her in the classroom or group activities
- Has difficulty separating from parents or other familiar people
- Is fearful of a particular object or situation (e.g. flying, heights, fire, dogs)
- Worries excessively about upcoming events or activities
- Has difficulty coping with changes to his or her schedule
- Worries about making mistakes on homework, on projects, or in performance situations
- Worries excessively about safety (e.g. danger, getting injured) or health (own or family members’)
- Cries, has tantrums, or refuses to do any of the above activities
- Often has nightmares, headaches, or stomachaches
Q: I can only come to Part 1 of the workshop - can I still register?
A: Sure! Part 1 of Becoming Brave contains the most information and participants will leave with a plan to implement before returning for Part 2 a week later. Becoming Brave is unique in the offer of the 1-week follow-up, a time for caregivers to return and address the questions that may have come up during the previous week.
Q: Can I split the registration fee with another family, so that one adult from each family attends rather than 2 caregivers from a single family?
A: Unfortunately, no - but some events have financial aid available so make sure you check before ruling out attendance based on finances. Each family/caregiving unit must register individually. Becoming Brave's enrollment is usually limited to 6 families each workshop, to ensure that each family will receive consultation specific its own context and challenges. Although splitting a registration fee and having one parent from each would not increase the number of people in the room, it would increase the number of individual families' plans for the facilitator to consult on, which in turn would mean less time for other group members to raise their individual questions.
Q: Our organization has more than 6 families who would like to participate - is there a way to adapt Becoming Brave for larger group?
A: Yes, absolutely. Although the Becoming Brave Workshop is designed to be a unique small group experience with individualized consultation, it can be adapted for larger groups with changes to format and/or an additional facilitator. Contact Dr. Hale if you would like to explore how to adapt Becoming Brave for your specific context.