Sometimes our greatest teachers are the most unassuming ones. That’s the message from Lynn Lyons, a child therapist specializing in anxiety disorders, and author of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children.
What would you do if you instructed a client to face their greatest fear, and then the client asked you to confront yours? That’s exactly the predicament Lyons found herself in with her young client, James.
In her story, “I’m Funny and I Faint,” from the 2017 Networker Symposium evening storytelling event, Lyons shares the heartwarming—and often hilarious—story of how James used a little exposure therapy technique of his own on her, which helped her walk away from their work a stronger therapist.
As Lyons mentions, leaning into a challenge can often lead to a more robust healing experience.
Nevertheless, anxiety is completely normal, and therapists need to emphasize this, Lyons says in her Networker piece, “Taming the Wild Things.”
Lynn Lyons
Lynn Lyons, LICSW, is a speaker, trainer, and practicing clinician specializing in the treatment of anxious families. She’s the coauthor of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents and is the cohost of the podcast Flusterclux. Her latest book for adults is The Anxiety Audit.
