The Anxiety Project
The Anxiety Project is a project that developed by the NSWPPA in collaboration with Parentshop’s psychologist, Michael Hawton. The Anxiet Project has been developed to address high levels of anxiety among children in Australian Schools. It is a two year, full-supported project that builds capacity of school leaders, special Implementation Coaches, school staff, parents and students to reduce children’s anxiety levels in schools. The Anxiety Project is now available to all states and sectors.
The data is showing significant changes in teacher confidence in recognising anxiety and knowing how to respond. Staff are also reporting marked improvements in their wellbeing as they realise how much changes they are making have improved outcomes for students.
Further information Rob Walker rob.walker@det.nsw.edu.au or Hayley Cravigan gm@parentshop.com.au
Click here to watch the May 2025 Information Session
Click here to complete the EOI Form
UPCOMING INTRODUCTARY SEMINAR: Tuesday 19 August 2025 from 9:00AM to 3:00 PM, we will be holding a face-to-face Student Wellbeing Seminar about The Anxiety Project, Student Wellbeing, and the Latest Research with keynote speaker: Professor Patrick McGorry AO.
Our venue will be the NSW Teachers’ Federation Room in Surry Hills, which has capacity for 90 people. Please book early if you would like to attend as we expect this event will book out.
Professor McGorry will deliver the keynote address: “The landscape of child and youth mental health: Trends and mega trends.” He will then join Associate Professor Terry Laidler, Chair of Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, for a conversation about young people’s mental ill-health, before taking questions from the audience. During the session you will also get a framework for how you can improve the wellbeing of your whole school community by addressing the number one mental health issue affecting Australian children, as well as walking away with some strategies and tips for improving teacher wellbeing. Our two projects are evidence based and offer long term and sustainable results. The cost is $129.00. You can book through the QR code on the attached flier.
Achieving large-scale change in student wellbeing relies on a well-designed population change process which complements existing the school plans. I am familiar with this type of population change process having worked with UNICEF and UNFPA in South-East Asia, on large-scale population change.
The Anxiety Project, grounded in psychological theory and cognitive behavioural approaches, challenges the use of ‘unhelpful accommodations’ in Australian which, while well-intentioned, are problematic. The accommodation of students, by well-intentioned adults, is making the problem of child anxiety worse in Australian schools. The Anxiety Project is the only primary-aged project that tackles accommodation-behaviour (by adults) in Australia.
The Anxiety Project offers teachers, whole school staff and parents the skills and strategies to reduce student anxiety. Children can be coached in ‘everyday conversations’ and taught essential knowledge and skills in seven lessons to help them manage their anxious thoughts and how to calm their bodies. The lessons come with learning intentions and success criteria at each step in the lesson sequence.
Each of the primary and secondary projects address the record levels of student anxiety in Australian schools. (See below, 2024 peer reviewed article from The Lancet highlighted on page 735, to see how serious the problem of mental ill-health is in Australian students.)
If you have any questions about the project or would like a presentation at your local PPC meeting, you can contact The Anxiety Project General manager on 0404 011 135.