RELAX.calm : Helping Teens Manage Stress Using Relaxation & Guided Imagery

New Teen Program from the authors of the widely used program Ready...Set...R.E.L.A.X. RELAX.calm, features over 50, five to ten minute relevant scripts that are easily used by therapists, teachers, counselors, parents and teens themselves to provide an avenue for positive change. RELAX.calm uses relaxation techniques, guided imagery and positive self talk to help teens: make good choices exhibit strong values be successful feel competent with peers feel supported increase self esteem feel empowered increase learning become involved develop test-taking skills Today s adolescents worry more than most adults might suspect. Those of us in the trenches working with children and adolescents know that, although many young people do receive some type of adult professional help, many are going undiagnosed. The traditional individual therapy approach cannot adequately deal with the large number of youth suffering from stress-related problems. Typically, only the most severe cases receive attention. The majority of teens who feel anxious or stressed are suffering through the experience the best they can. Others begin to use substances to find relief. Helping professionals understand the importance of aiding teens in developing techniques to help them deal with the stress in their lives. Stress presents specific patterns occurring in children and teens, including anxiety, headaches, sleep-disturbance and attention problems. It is also a contributing factor for depression and substance abuse. Stress is exacerbated when we feel no outlet for frustration and no sense of control. RELAX.calm (pronounced relax-dot-calm), gives teens a sense of control over stress by giving them a tool box of relaxation skills, such as guided imagery, muscle relaxation, and positive self-talk, that help them self-soothe. Teens come to realize with practice that they can release tension rather than allow it to increase. We developed the RELAX.calm program as an intervention and prevention tool to help enhance the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents. The program can also be used as an adjunct treatment for a variety of emotional problems along with traditional psychotherapy. RELAX.calm can be used by therapists, physicians, educators and parents in many different therapeutic settings, in schools, and at home. RELAX.calm discusses the effectiveness of using relaxation strategies by incorporating muscle relaxation, music, imagery and positive self-talk. For example, relaxation techniques have been shown to improve students self-management skills, decrease state anxiety, increase social interaction skills, improve self-concept, increase attentiveness, reduce test anxiety, raise test scores and achievement, and establish a self-belief that they can be in control of their problems.