Children’s Anxiety Programme Now Available in Welsh | The STILL Method
It is twenty past eight on a school morning and a seven year old is standing by the front door with one shoe on. Her tummy hurts. She speaks Welsh at home, learns in Welsh at school, and when her mum crouches down to ask what is wrong, the answer, if it comes at all, comes in Welsh too.
That is the moment the work is for. When a child is frightened, the words they reach for are usually the ones they live in. So I am really pleased to say that the materials for our children's anxiety programme and our parent programme are now available in Welsh.
In short: The STILL Method children's anxiety programme and the three-week parent programme are now available in Welsh. STILL-trained coaches can deliver both to Welsh-speaking children and families, in Welsh-medium schools and at home. It is the same programme, built to the same depth as the English version, in the language the child and family actually use.
Mae deunyddiau rhaglen gorbryder plant The STILL Method, a'n rhaglen i rieni, bellach ar gael yn Gymraeg. Gall hyfforddwyr sydd wedi'u hyfforddi gyda STILL gyflwyno'r ddwy raglen yn Gymraeg i blant a theuluoedd, mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg ac yn y cartref.
Why language matters when a child is anxious
The STILL Method treats anxiety as a nervous system that has been trained to expect danger, rather than as something broken in the child. I have written about that more fully in our guide to working with your nervous system, but the short version is this. Anxiety is not just a thought. It is a body state, and a body settles when it feels safe, familiar and understood.
Language is a big part of familiar. A child who has to translate what is happening inside them before they can say it is doing two hard things at once, and the second one often wins. Working in the language of home means the child can name the feeling as it arrives, practise the tools in their own words, and carry those words back into the classroom and the kitchen.
It matters for parents just as much. When a child and their parent share the same words for the plan, the parent can use them at the front door at twenty past eight, which is where it counts.
What is now available in Welsh
The children's anxiety programme
This is the structured programme STILL coaches deliver to anxious children, built around Stop, Talk, Imagine, Listen and Learn. Nothing has been taken out or simplified for the Welsh version. It is the same programme, with the same structure and depth, so a coach can deliver it in Welsh with exactly the confidence they would in English.
The parent programme
A three-week programme for parents of anxious children. It covers what anxiety is actually doing in a child's body and why the urge to rescue can keep it going, how anxiety shows up across different states and what helps the body settle in each, and how to manage meltdowns and build a STILL plan that belongs to that particular family.
For Welsh-medium schools
Under the Curriculum for Wales, health and well-being sits alongside every other area of learning, and the Welsh Government's whole-school approach to emotional and mental well-being asks schools to treat this as part of everyday school life rather than something handed elsewhere. For a Welsh-medium school, support that only exists in English has always sat slightly outside that.
Staff who train with us can now deliver the children's programme in Welsh, in the language the school already works in. Most of the schools we work with started with one or two members of staff training first and bringing it back. If that sounds like you, our school wellbeing training page sets out how training works for school staff and for whole teams.
For coaches working with Welsh-speaking families
If you are a coach in Wales, or you work with Welsh-speaking families anywhere, you can now offer the full programme in Welsh. The route in is the Anxiety Coach Certification, which trains you to deliver the children's programme. The parent programme is then available to qualified STILL coaches to add alongside it.
I also wanted to mention that Welsh is not the end of this. Our courses can be used in any language, and once you have qualified I will happily support you and look at creating workbooks in the language your clients speak.
For parents
If you are reading this because your own child is struggling, our guide to the signs of anxiety in children is a good place to start, and our page on supporting anxious children explains how the STILL approach works. You can search for a trained STILL coach through our Find a Coach directory. If you have any concerns about your child's health or safety, please speak to your GP.
Frequently asked questions
Which STILL Method programmes are available in Welsh?
The children's anxiety programme and the three-week parent programme for parents of anxious children.
Is the Welsh version the same as the English programme?
Yes. It is the same programme, with the same structure and the same depth. Nothing has been cut down or simplified.
Who can deliver the programmes in Welsh?
Coaches who have trained with The STILL Method. The children's programme is delivered by coaches who have completed the Anxiety Coach Certification, and the parent programme is available to qualified STILL coaches.
Can school staff in Welsh-medium schools train to deliver it?
Yes. Teachers, teaching assistants, ALNCos and wellbeing staff train with us regularly, and once qualified they can deliver the children's programme in Welsh within their school.
Are STILL materials available in other languages?
Our courses can be used in any language. Once a coach has qualified, we will happily support them and look at creating workbooks in the language their clients speak.
How can I find a STILL coach for my child?
You can search for a trained STILL coach through our Find a Coach directory.
Train to deliver the STILL programme
The Anxiety Coach Certification trains you to deliver the STILL children's anxiety programme, now in English and Welsh. It is accredited, delivered live on Zoom, and assessed through real coaching practice. The STILL Method is an accredited provider with ACCPH and IPHM.
It is also part of the Training Pass, which gives you access to every certification in the catalogue for one price.
Find out about the Anxiety Coach Certification