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Leading Child Psychologist Presents on Anxiety

By Jewish Federation of Reading

Oct 01, 2020

Wyomissing, PA, — The Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks in partnership with Exeter Community Library and Sinking Spring Public Library announce the next author in the second season of Literatour Berks, a community-wide celebration with 29 events featuring authors, celebrities, and cultural influencers throughout Berks County. The public is invited to a virtual discussion on anxiety with Dr. Abigail Gewirtz on Monday, October 5 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.  

In a complicated world, big issues make both parents and children anxious—from disturbingly routine active shooter drills at school, to frightening news about climate change, pandemics, social justice issues, and violence. It’s all too easy for parents to feel at a loss for how to equip their child to deal with it all in a healthy way.

In WHEN THE WORLD FEELS LIKE A SCARY PLACE: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents & Worried Kids, Dr. Abigail Gewirtz, an award-winning child psychologist and leading expert on families under stress, offers parents a clear and practical guide to discussing these sensitive topics in a calm, reassuring, and productive way that will help kids comprehend and process the world around them.  

Dr. Gewirtz sets the stage in her book by giving parents tools to understand their own feelings before turning to their children’s. Here she explains:

▪              How what happens in the world can affect parenting

▪              Why a parent’s background and personal experience affect their responses to stress

▪              How a parent’s anxiety transmits to their children 

This is followed by a series of real-world essential conversations, actual dialogue scripts, talking points, prompts, and insightful asides. Each is tailored for different ages from three to eighteen and guides parents towards a constructive conversation without sparking anxiety in their children.

Dr. Abigail Gewirtz is a child psychologist and professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development (ranked the world’s third-leading institution of its kind). Her career has been devoted to developing and testing award-winning, skills-based parenting programs to promote children’s resilience. Dr. Gewirtz has consulted for and presented to national and international organizations, including the US Congress and UNICEF, on parenting. She has conducted research in the US, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and has been invited to speak throughout the world on parenting in times of stress.   

Registration for this free virtual event can be found at https://readingjewishcommunity.org/home/literatour 

Signed copies of the books will be available for purchase through the Literatour Berks official book vendor, Reads & Company of Phoenixville. https://bookshop.org/shop/readsandcompany

Literatour Berks is a community program that will bring 29 authors in exciting programs from September 2020 to June 2021 to Berks County, virtually and in-person. The program is presented by Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks in partnership with Exeter Community Library and Sinking Spring Public Library. A complete list of authors and topics can be found at www.readingjewishcommunity.org/home/literatour Additional support in the form of community patrons is acknowledged and appreciated.

The Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks is the planning, coordinating and fundraising arm of the Jewish community. The Federation raises and allocates funds along with the Jewish Federations of North America and collective efforts in support of many vital local, national, and international Jewish organizations.

Exeter Community Library and Sinking Spring Public Library are members of the Berks County Public Libraries. 

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