Back to school: How parents can help kids manage stress, anxiety

Dr. Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher sits down with ABC7 Chicago to talk about back-to-school stress and anxiety. In the segment, Dr. Astrachan-Fletcher offers tips for caregivers including how to talk to their child about their feelings and the difference between stress/anxiety and school refusal.

Summer break is almost over, and thousands of Chicago students will return to school in the next coming weeks.

Most kids are excited to head back to the classroom, see their friends, and pick back up on extracurricular activities. But, for some, the potential challenges of a new school year are a source of stress.

Dr. Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, regional clinical director at Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center in Chicago and a lecturer at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, stopped by ABC 7 to share some tips for parents on how to help children cope with any back-to-school anxiety they may be experiencing.

 

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