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The Taming Sneaky Fears Program: Theoretical Framework, Requirements for Implementation, and Program Overview

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Assessing and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Young Children

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Abstract

This chapter describes the theoretical framework, requirements for implementation , and overview of the Taming Sneaky Fears program. It discusses adaptations of traditional Cognitive Behavior Therapy concepts and strategies to accommodate the cognitive abilities of four- to seven-year-olds. Feeling recognition becomes How to Be a Feeling Catcher with the Body Scan and Feeling Thermometer; progressive muscle relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing become How to Be the Boss of My Body with Spaghetti Arms and Toes and Balloon Breathing (with Imagery as an additional relaxation strategy); anxiety is externalized as Sneaky Fears; cognitive distortions become Tricks that Sneaky Fears play (children learn How to Be a Trick Catcher and catch those Tricks: Not Telling the Truth, Exaggerating, and Only Showing the Bad Things); cognitive coping strategies become How to Be the Boss of My Brain with the Stop sign and Trick Stoppers (Ignore Sneaky Fears , Think Brave Thoughts , and Talk to an Adult); and progressive desensitization becomes How to Climb Bravery Ladders .

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Taming Sneaky Fears —Leo the Lion’s story of bravery & Inside Leo’s den: The Workbook has been translated into the French language, Apprivoiser les Peurs-pas-fines—L’histoire de bravoure de Léo le lionceau & Dans la tanière de Léo: Le cahier de travail (Benoit & Monga, 2018a, b). Translation into other languages is being considered.

  2. 2.

    Although the Taming Sneaky Fears program was designed for use in a group format, it can also be used in individual sessions with young children and parents.

  3. 3.

    The Parent Manual is provided as one of the Supplementary Materials with this chapter.

  4. 4.

    The Supplementary Child Workbook is provided as one of the Supplementary Materials with this chapter.

  5. 5.

    Leo the Lion: Folkmanis full body lion puppet number 2889.

  6. 6.

    Ellie the Elephant: Folkmanis full body elephant puppet number 2534.

  7. 7.

    Sneaky Fears: Two Folkmanis full body gray fox puppets number 3032.

  8. 8.

    Missy Mistake: Folkmanis Fire Dragon puppet number 3054.

  9. 9.

    Ms. Priya the Panther: Folkmanis Black Cat puppet number 2987.

  10. 10.

    Any of the following Folkmanis full body puppets could be used for the four to six additional puppets (puppet number in brackets): Chimpanzee (2877), snowy owl (2236), ostrich (3026), tiger (2869) baboon (2914), peacock (2539), small panda bear (2364), koala (3057), sloth (2927), chameleon (2215), bob cat (2199), ant eater (2973), lion mountain (3045), slow loris (3072), armadillo (3043), camel (2979), parrot (2592), macaw (3078).

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

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  • Benoit, D., & Monga, S. (2018a). Apprivoiser les Peurs-pas-fines—L’histoire de bravoure de Léo le lionceau & Dans la tanière de Léo: Le cahier de travail. Victoria, British Columbia: FriesenPress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benoit, D., & Monga, S. (2018b). Taming Sneaky Fears—Leo the Lion’s story of bravery & inside Leo’s den: The workbook. Victoria, British Columbia: FriesenPress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, D. (2006). What to do when you worry too much—A kid’s guide to overcoming anxiety. Washington, DC: Magination Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2016). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Suneeta Monga & Diane Benoit

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Suneeta Monga & Diane Benoit

Authors
  1. Suneeta Monga
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  2. Diane Benoit
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Suneeta Monga .

6.1 Electronic Supplementary Material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (PDF 769 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (PDF 1925 kb)

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Monga, S., Benoit, D. (2018). The Taming Sneaky Fears Program: Theoretical Framework, Requirements for Implementation, and Program Overview. In: Assessing and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Young Children. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04939-3_6

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