Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills and Mindfulness Practices to Overcome Anxiety and Stress
Written by Regine Galanti, PhD
Published by Zeitgeist
Available March 31, 2020
Ages 13+

In this practice-based book, Dr. Regine Galanti addresses anxiety in teens. Galanti is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of the New York-based Long Island Behavioral Psychology and has expertise in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety, as well as parenting and behavior problems. Galanti employs cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, to give teenagers mindfulness tools and coping skills so that they can—with consistent practice—meet their fears and challenges and improve their quality of life.

Mindfulness is a word thrown around a lot these days. For Galanti, mindfulness skills are integral in addressing anxiety because they allow the individual to be present and observe their surroundings without judgment. Of course, as anyone who’s tried to meditate knows: it’s no easy feat. Which is why the realism behind her Galanti’s mindfulness practices will be welcome  to anyone who’s ever worked with teenagers: no quick fixes are promised, but consistent and deliberate practice can improve one’s reaction to life’s stressors. These practices run the gamut from “talking back” to your fears to visualization exercises where teens imagine breathing in a calm color (blue) and exhale a stressful color (in this case yellow, like a caution sign). The sheer abundance of cognitive behavioral techniques (there are over 30 instances) lets readers choose what works for them—and invites them to try on different tools for different stressors. Galanti’s judgment-free writing makes these exercises appealing, never shaming. It is important to note: Galanti is quick to provide hotline numbers and a medical disclaimer in the pages. That warning is serious; this book can be a wonderful supplement to those in treatment—possibly a standalone for a teen who is looking to improve their negative reactivity. This is a great resource for teens, but it should not be the only resource. This book includes quiz-style assessments, sample worksheets, and diagrams; its back matter includes a list of mental health resources.