Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girl’s Guide to Overcoming Worry & Anxiety

by Sissy Goff

As a parent, you can use certain strategies to help your elementary-aged daughter when she struggles with worry and anxiety. But it is also important that she learn how to work through her emotions on her own.

This illustrated guide--created for girls ages 6 to 11, the stage when anxiety issues often surface--will help your daughter see how brave, strong, and smart God made her. Through easy-to-read stories and writing and drawing prompts, she will learn practical ways to fight back when worries come up. She will feel empowered, knowing she is deeply loved by a God who is bigger than her fears. This level of trust is the spiritual antidote to anxiety and the path to feeling capable and confident in any situation.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Psychology, Childrens, Christian, Family, Mental Health

96 pages, Paperback

Published December 3, 2019

About the author

SISSY GOFF, M.Ed., LPC-MHSP spends most of her days talking with girls and their families, with the help of her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. She has worked as the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee since 1993, with a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University. Sissy speaks to parents across the country and is the author of eleven books including Raising Girls. and her newest books, Raising Worry-Free Girls and Braver, Stronger Smarter (for elementary school girls) which will be released in September of 2019.

Sissy is a regular contributor to various podcasts and publications, including their own soon-to-be released podcast called Raising Boys and Girls. You can find more information and resources at www.raisingboysandgirls.com.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of Braver, Stronger, Smarter for free from the publisher in return for my honest opinion.

I had previously read and reviewed Raising Worry-Free Girls by Sissy Goff last month and found it to be very useful and valuable. Braver, Stronger, Smarter is the companion book for daughters. The book is meant to be read along with your daughter to help her fight her Worry Monster. There are places for your daughter to answer questions, draw pictures to help fight her Worry Monster, and even pages that your daughter can tear out and hang up to help her remember how brave, strong, and smart she is every day.

The book is larger in size (approximately 8.5 by 11 inches) and paperback. It is a little longer than 90 pages and contains illustrations to help make it relatable to younger girls. The author, Sissy Goff, also makes use of her dog, Lucy, to help readers relate to events and advice in her book.

I highly recommend this book (and the companion one for parents) for those girls who are having trouble fighting a Worry Monster. It could also be useful for counselors and others who help young ladies be brave, strong, and smart.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for young girls that have anxiety and worry issues. I liked how this book is laid out in a kind of a workbook style so that those reading it can write stuff down and really get even more out of the book. Sissy writes in an easy to understand style which makes a perfect compliment to the topic. My 6 year old daughter is already starting down the road of anxiety(due in part to some special needs)and you can bet, I will try this book with her when she is a bit older.

I received this book from the publisher and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guiding young girls through their childhood and their teen years to help them become confident, calm, self-sufficient, and compassionate adults is of immeasurable importance. Helping them to learn to rely on their own inner strength and to make well-reasoned and informed decisions is invaluable. "Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girl's Guide to Overcoming Worry and Anxiety" is a useful teaching and learning tool for young girls and their parents and other care providers. It really is also a boost for females of all ages--we all need a supportive "shot in the arm" now and then. Author Sissy Goff, a Licensed Professional Counselor-Mental Health Service Provider, has written an easy-to-read and fun to use little book which help young girls develop personal skills and spiritual strengths which will help them cope with Life's big issues.

Book Copy Gratis Bethany House Books

[Leanne Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read with my nine year old daughter. She was really into it and has been using the tools from the book. We went through it very slowly on purpose to actually have time to try and talk about each thing. Sitting side by side in her bed reading it together took pressure off hard conversations. We will definitely be re-reading it together.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I just finished going through this together, and it was a great exercise. It is a companion piece to Sissy Goff’s book Raising Worry Free Girls, and it was great. It helps younger girls identify the difference between worry, fear, anxiety and stress, and also how to process and deal with each as they come into her life. I really liked this, and my daughter claimed she didn’t, but would set it out for us to do together....

[Joanne Viola · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has been a marked increase in anxiety in children over recent years. No matter the cause, parents and children need guidance in overcoming worry and anxiety.

Braver Stronger Smarter by Sissy Goff is a book designed for girls and offers help in overcoming worry and anxiety.

This is a book to be read together with your girls as there is quite a bit of information to be absorbed. Goff sets out three rules for reading this book:

Go Slow. Take one chapter at a time, going at your pace. The important thing is to work through each idea so that your girl is better able to win her fight against worry.
Don't Give Up. If it seems to be taking longer than you would like to beat off your worry, don't get discouraged. Keep going and don't quit.
Have fun! Enjoy the various exercises and you will find yourself feeling braver and stronger and smarter as you go.

The book is broken down into three sections: Understanding. Help. Hope.

Understanding helps your girl to grasp the concepts of worry and anxiety. It addresses why they worry. The "Worry Monster" concept is introduced which will help them to learn more about worry and weaken their worries.

"Cognitive behavioral therapy basically means that when you change the way you think (about worry), it changes the way you feel (about worry), which changes the you act (in response to worry)."

(page 38)

Help is the section which will introduce the way worry affects your body, your mind, and your heart. Goff brings tools for your girls to learn to protect them in each area and effectively fight off anxiety.

In the section on Hope, your girl will learn that trouble is normal and to be expected in life. She will also come to learn there are many promises to be found in God's Word which can fill her heart and mind with hope.

"God is right by your side, so you can take heart. And you can take courage He gives you to face any worries that come your way."

(page 87)

This is a book to be pulled out whenever anxiety may raise up its head. Each and every time your girl will grow in the knowledge God has created her to be brave and strong and smart.

**I received this book from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Jerrye Tellmeagreatstorylove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Braver, Stronger, Smarter: A Girls Guide to Overcoming Worry and Anxiety by Sissy Goff

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

____________________________________________________________
Story Notes

Sissy Goff offers parents and young women an opportunity to deal with one of the most common problems for pre-teen and teen girls, worry and/or anxiety, through understanding exactly what it is and what causes it to be so prominent in their lives.

We live in a society that measures success by accomplishments or lack thereof. So is it any wonder that many of today’s girls and young women are overwhelmed with daily life and tasks. Worry and anxiety are becoming more common at a younger age and even more so in the lives of females. Sissy Goff sets out to help parents and young women tackle this problem by helping them understand exactly what worry/anxiety is, what causes it and how to go about overcoming it with easy to remember techniques. The guide is divided into three sections – Understanding, Help, and Hope. Each section has three subsections that can be reviewed and practiced until fully learned. That is Dr. Goff’s goal as stated in her introduction, for each reader to go through the guide at a pace that suits them. I definitely believe this book will be a help to young women who struggle with this issue. I, myself, remember the times as a teen when I wanted to be the best and smartest no matter what the task and sometimes it made me feel overwhelmed. I love that Dr Goff uses her dog to illustrate the different points of each portion of the study. Most girls love dogs and will find a good connection with Lucy and her troubles. I was also glad to see that while Dr. Goff discussed the self causes of worry and anxiety, she did so in a kind and helpful way with no condemnation. Girls tend to be harder on themselves than boys because they are wired that way. God made girls with an increased ability to empathize, problem solve and strive for success and this can lead to worry or anxiety if allowed to get out of hand. These are the big points that Dr. Goff makes at the beginning of the book to help girls understand worry/anxiety. I agree with those assessments totally and can see how older women do this too. From there Dr. Goff goes on to offer ways to help stop the endless cycle of worry by intentional breathing, grounding games, naming the worry monster, creating brave ladders and lots of other techniques. She specifically leaves blanks to be filled in by each reader so they can personalize the ways they apply the techniques and this will be helpful to many girls. I loved the idea of having a “code word” to say to parents to let them know their child is worrying or feeling overwhelmed; it will be helpful to parents to know what’s happening when things are busy around them. Dr Goff finishes the book by offering hope for overcoming worry/anxiety by continuous practice of the techniques and much prayer. By giving real life examples and implementations, she offers girls a look at what things will be like as they work through and past their problem. The last page gives a quick reference to return to in moments of unexpected panic, which I think girls might like to cut out or perhaps make a drawing of for their room as a reminder. I will certainly be recommending this study to others as I hope they will be able to help their children overcome the on-going struggle of worry/anxiety. It will certainly help them see what their child is thinking and how they can help them process what goes on each day. Excellent topic and wonderful solutions offered here!

I received this complimentary study from Bethany House Publishers to provide an honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

[Monica H (TeaandBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not doubt about it, there is a lot of scary stuff going on in our modern world. It is enough to worry adults, let alone kids. Sissy Goff offers advice to young girls on how to overcome their worry and anxiety and focus on how brave they are instead in her new book, Braver Stronger Smarter: A Girl's Guide to Overcoming Worry and Anxiety.


Braver Stronger Smarter was written for elementary aged girls but it can be used by girls of any age to learn practical ways to deal with worry, anxiety, and other overwhelming emotions. Actually, the book also offers girls who don't deal with those issues now a way to handle those emotions if they do come up for them. The book is divided in to three sections: Understanding, Help and Hope. Each section contains three chapters with some good advice and learning tools for girls in each section. Parents and caregivers are also encouraged to read the companion book, Raising Worry-Free Girls, as they work with a young girl. Braver Stronger Smarter is published by a Christian publisher and it does contain Bible verses and encourage the girls to rely on faith in God to help their worrying and other difficult emotions.


I like that Braver Stronger Smarter is in an interactive workbook form. I think that is the best way for the girls to learn. Goff encourages girls to go through this book slowly with a parent or other adult. I think the way the book is designed would help girls both learn and apply the concepts from this book to their lives with lasting results. If they have a worry problem and fall back in to old habits, they could always refer back to the book for reminders.



I received this book from Bethany House Publishers. All opinions in this review are my own.

[Sarah Poling · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a worrier or a girl with anxiety who is young- like elementary age-- this workbook is for her. I've done therapy with a young boy for these concerns, and this book- wow! A chance for a parent or trusted friend to help a girl process and learn how to overcome fear, anxiety, or worry. It offers best practice solutions, in a gentle friendly, real approach that will appeal to girls. The therapist shares using her small dog, Lucy's, perspective she defines it, teaches strategies, asks the reader to draw, write, and reflect on her own perspective and share her thoughts, beliefs, and plan her actions. The author cautions the reader to go slowly through this book, and while I know many parents want to 'fix' concerns-- having done weekly therapy with a young child- it is a marathon and it really does need to be approached slowly over time and internalized to be effective.

I love that this is a biblically driven books and one of the strategies is to chose worry verses to recite and help overcome the worries. This perspective is needed and in me experience one of the best techniques to cope with those feelings that are not facts or logical, but yet they can control your life if you allow them to. There is also a book for adults that partners with this one- and I'd be interested in reading it as well.

Thankful to partner with Bethany House Publishing and read this book. I will be adding it to my resources and using/recommending it others who may be able to use it.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does your child struggle with fear, small or irrational? All kids struggle with fear some time. Some just seem to struggle more than others.
In her workbook Braver, Stronger, Smarter, Sissy Goff has written a manual for elementary-age children to help them identify their fear, give it a name, and then use the tools she teaches them to help kids fight against the fear that affects their bodies, minds and hearts.
I found as I was reading through the material, that I could identify many areas where my children struggle with various issues. And this book will definitely be a useful tool to go through with them. The book is intended to be used with girls and they can either read it through with an adult or on their own. I think I'll probably read through this workbook with all three of my kids (two boys and a girl) and use it as a great talking point with them.
There is also another resource available that is written for adults called Raising Worry-Free Girls which would be great to read as your child goes through the workbook. It will go through the same concepts that your child is learning to fight her fear. And you may learn some great techniques to help yourself in the process. I think this is a great resource and I look forward to using it with my own kids.

***I received this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

[Michael Sasson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this is my favorite book to support children with anxiety symptoms with a couple caveats:
1) As the title suggests, it is targeted specifically for girls. Boys and nonbinary kids will need to go elsewhere.
2) The book is grounded in a specifically Christian world-view and leans on Christian Scripture (see esp. pp77-87). I like that this allows a sense of confidence in being cared for and loved by a Higher Power to be part of what the book lays out (as well as many specific CBT-ish or mindfulness-based (see pp50-52, 54, 66) and somatic-informed (see p49) skills) but requires a family for whom Christian faith is important or at least non-objectionable. This isn't a problem -- just clear that this is the target audience. Some of this material reminds of the frame that faith is secure attachment with God/Spirit and so some of these lessons can be translated to be more mundane attachment-focused lessons (see esp. p 82).

The book gets tone right (imo) for young children. I also very much appreciated it's general support for parent-child bonds while lifting up respectfully, clearly and briefly that having a worrier as a parent may be part of what brings anxiety up in the child (see p28). Similarly, I appreciate the brief guidelines towards exposure therapy to support children in getting over avoiding certain activities/phobias.

Finally, I like that the last page (pp. 88) is a summary of what a kid should do to combat their "Worry Monster."

[Korin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know about you, but I've always struggled with worry, and it seems as if kids are really struggling with it at even younger ages nowadays. Sissy Goff realizes this; as a children's counselor, she sees kids wrestling with worry every day and wants to help girls at home overcome it.

It's easy to see that Sissy is gifted in helping kids cope with what what worries them. She uses words and imagery they can understand, while showing them that their fear doesn't define them, and there is Someone who is walking with them every step of the way. I loved her Aslan example near the end of the book!

Several things to note are that while it's written so that your girl can easily follow along, Sissy recommends that you as an adult go through it with her as a guide. And one other thing- don't rush through it! Slow and steady is what Sissy advises.

While Braver is directed towards an elementary-school audience and I'd definitely recommend it for that age range, Sissy's words and admonitions about being braver than you think you are are relevant to anyone. It's really a sweet book- if you have a little girl who gets anxiety during school, fears being alone, or just can't stop imagining the worst-case scario to any situation, this is a good book to pick up for them.

I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Jill Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Braver, Stronger, Smarter is a peppy book written directly to a younger female audience. This book is meant to be read in the supervision of an adult as each chapter encourages the reader to discuss with an adult what they’ve learned. The goal is for the reader to overcome worry and fear that they are encountering at an earlier and earlier age thanks to the rise of social media and the constant pressures in our lives.
Author, Sissy Goff uses her expertise as a counselor for young girls to create a book that can be shared. Targeted at those without access to regular therapy appointments or as a supplement, she does an incredible job using her dog Lucy as the reader’s sidekick as they go on a quest to overcome anxieties and become their own hero.
This book is full of activities, engaging drawing, writing and communicating skills in an effort to keep readers and their adult partner motivated. After reading this book, I myself felt braver, stronger, smarter and more courageous as the worries do not just subside after adolescence.
*Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

[Connie Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Counselor Sissy Goff has written a companion book to Raising Worry-Free Girls and even though the target age group for this book is elementary girls, I believe that Braver Stronger Smarter will be of benefit to ALL girls. This book continues to address the 'Worry Monster' and it also covers the same three topics of Understanding, Help, and Hope but this book is more of a workbook. It has fun stories, appealing black and white line illustrations, a space to answer questions and jot down thoughts, and even drawing prompts to help a young girl envision herself as being braver, stronger, and smarter.

I am fortunate to have the adult version, Raising Worry-Free Girls, and I am thrilled to have this companion book to help my granddaughter face her fears and worries and conquer that 'Worry Monster'!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House but there was no obligation to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts.

[Heather Reckner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-read for my own daughter trying to decide if I should give her this book or the teens version. She’s 12 and I think she could benefit from this, but it’s best suited for girls age 7-12. I love the content! The audio version is great for easy listening, if that’s more approachable for your girl!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have found this book very helpful with dealing with worry. Sissy gives practical help along with biblical guidance. We read it through together and discussed it and now my daughter has been going back through it on her own and applying different different strategies that she finds helpful.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading and journaling to help girls process emotions, how the brain works and strategies to combat worry and anxiety.

[Lecy Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect little companion workbook to Goff's Raising Worry-Free Girls (reviewed here) that incorporates different activities to raise a girl's self-esteem. While the book was marketed to the parents of girls ages six to eighteen, the workbook is definitely geared for the older end of this spectrum. Younger girls could work through it with the help of a parent, but there is a lot of reading passages that explain the exercises and I don't know if younger children would be intimidated by those big blocks of text. Other than that, the activities were all very thought-provoking and would help a young girl feel more confident in herself. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so helpful and the writing was playful enough to make the work fun. The tools and activities felt like they could continue to be relevant over a large span of ages. When I purchased the workbook, I didn't realize that it was written from a Christian perspective. We are not Christian, but we were able to easily tweak the language to work for our faith and philosophy.

[Julie Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for children with anxiety to teach them how to manage their Worry Monster. Illustrations and journaling help teach kids about their strength within to overcome anxiety.