The start of a new school year is one of the most reliable transition points in a child’s calendar year, and one of the most clinically dense. In a matter of weeks, children are asked to renegotiate routine, separate from caregivers for longer stretches, re-enter or reform peer groups, and adapt to a different set of behavioural expectations and structure. For many children this passes with only mild disruption. For others, it surfaces or intensifies separation anxiety, distress around change, peer-related difficulty, or dysregulated behaviour as the demands on self-control increase.
This guide sets out four presentations commonly seen in practice around the back-to-school period, and the ACT-informed formulation and technique that supports each. It is written as a template: the structure, metaphors and activities can be adapted across the primary age range and beyond, and language should be adjusted to the developmental stage of the child in front of you.
Download supporting children through the back-to-school transitionSupporting children through the back-to-school transition
This short guide was designed for practitioners, teachers, caregivers and anyone who works with children and young people. Whether you are new to ACT or looking to deepen your practice, the principles in this guide can serve as a foundation for impactful therapeutic work. It covers the following:
- The return to school as a psychological transition
- Separation anxiety and fear of the unknown
- Coping with change in the family and home environment
- Friendships, peer groups and social re-entry
- Structure, boundaries and self-regulation in the return to routine
- Bringing it together: cross-cutting ACT processes
- PLUS a quick guide to ACT for anyone who is brand new to acceptance and commitment therapy techniques
