Your worry spiral

This resource invites young people to map out their own worry spiral, helping them identify how their worries usually begin and how they grow over time. It is designed as a therapeutic, reflective activity to support formulation work, encourage self-awareness, and help young people practise gentle strategies for responding when their worries start to spiral.

References & Further Reading

  • Creswell, C., Waite, P., & Hudson, J. (2020). Anxiety disorders in children and young people: Assessment and treatment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(4), 399–411. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13186
  • Davey, G.C.L. and Meeten, F. (2016) ‘The perseverative worry about: A review of cognitive, affective and motivational factors that contribute to worry perseveration’, Biological Psychology, 121, pp. 233–243. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.04.003
  • Donovan, C.L. et al. (2017a) ‘Thinking about worry: Investigation of the cognitive components of worry in children’, Journal of Affective Disorders, 208, pp. 230–237. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.09.061.
  • Ewing, D. L., Monsen, J. J., Thompson, E. J., Cartwright-Hatton, S., & Field, A. (2015). A meta-analysis of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural therapy in the treatment of child and young person anxiety disorders. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 43(5), 562–577. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465813001094
  • Kendall, P. C., & Peterman, J. S. (2015). CBT for adolescents with anxiety: Mature yet still developing. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(6), 519–530. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.14081061
  • Kingery, J. N., Roblek, T. L., Suveg, C., Grover, R. L., Sherrill, J. T., & Bergman, R. L. (2006). They’re not just “little adults”: Developmental considerations for implementing cognitive-behavioral therapy with anxious youth. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 20(3), 263–273. https://doi.org/10.1891/jcop.20.3.263
  • Kishita, N., & Laidlaw, K. (2017). Cognitive behaviour therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Is CBT equally efficacious in adults of working age and older adults? Clinical Psychology Review, 52, 124–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.01.003
  • Perrin, S., Bevan, D., Payne, S., Bolton, D., & Perrin, S. (2019). GAD-specific cognitive behavioral treatment for children and adolescents: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 43, 1051–1064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-019-10020-3
  • Watts, R., Cossar, J., & Ferreira, N. (2021). Applicability of the intolerance of uncertainty model to generalized anxiety disorder symptoms in young people. Mediterranean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 9(2).