Sissy Goff on Why We Should Name Our Worries (Type 1)

As the director of adolescent counseling at Daystar Counseling in Nashville, TN, Sissy Goff has seen first-hand how anxious behavior in children has been fueled by unrealistic social expectations. But according to Goff, one way to address that worry in kids is by teaching them self-talk: “I have them give the worry a name, because we all think of the voice in the back of our head as truth until we learn differently. And so to separate it out. I'll call it the worry monster. I have one girl who named her’s, Bob. But adolescents come up with their own names. [So they can say] I'm not listening to you. You're always wrong. You always make me feel incapable.” This week, we talk to Sissy Goff about how being an Enneagram 1 helps her in her work with young girls.  — Sissy Goff, MEd, LPC-MHSP, spends most of her days counseling girls and their families alongside her assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Sissy serves as the director of child and adolescent counseling for Daystar Counseling Ministries(Nashville, TN) where she has worked with girls and their families for more than 25 years. Check out her book, Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World. To learn more about Sissy Goff, follow her on Instagram, or visit her website.