Episode 29: Calming Teenage Anxiety: Practical Steps Parents Can Use Today

Nimble Youth – Episode 29 Show Notes
“Calming Teenage Anxiety: Practical Steps Parents Can Use Today”
Guest: Sophia Vale Galano, LCSW, author of Calming Teenage Anxiety

Episode Overview
In Episode 29 of Nimble Youth, host Matt Butterman sits down with Sophia Vale Galano, LCSW—therapist, educator, speaker, and author of Calming Teenage Anxiety. Sophia’s clinical career has spanned public high schools, inpatient psychiatric units, residential programs, and private practice. She brings a rare combination of clinical expertise, real-world experience, and practical clarity to one of the most urgent challenges parents face today: teen anxiety.
In this episode, Sophia walks us through:

• Why teen anxiety is rising

• How parents often accidentally shut down communication

• How to tell normal developmental stress from true clinical anxiety

• When—and how—to seek outside help

• What to do when teens refuse therapy

• The single daily practice parents can start tonight

• Her holistic approach: movement, creativity, nature, and environment

• Why listening trumps solutions, and curiosity trumps control

This is one of the most actionable episodes we’ve aired—packed with specific scripts, strategies and reminders designed to help parents move from panic to partnership.

About Our Guest: Sophia Vale Galano, LCSW
Sophia Vale Galano is a licensed clinical social worker and the author of Calming Teenage Anxiety: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teen Cope With Worry. Born in Los Angeles and raised in London, she holds a Master’s in Social Work from NYU.
Her background spans:

• Counseling teens in public and independent schools

• Providing group therapy and case management in psychiatric settings

• Serving as a primary therapist for young adult males in long-term substance use treatment

• Supervising social work associates

• Practicing master-level Reiki

• Working as a yoga instructor

• Integrating art, movement, and nontraditional therapeutic modalities

• She also consults for Hollywood Health & Society and volunteers with animal rescue organizations.

Key Themes & Insights

1. Why Teen Anxiety Is Rising
Sophia identifies two overlapping drivers:

Classic developmental factors:

• Puberty

• Hormonal shifts

• Cognitive changes

• Identity formation

Modern amplifiers:

• Social media

• Technology and screen saturation

• Reduced in-person connection

• Cultural pressures around achievement
  

The result: more anxiety, earlier in life, and often harder for parents to interpret.

2. The Trust Break: Why Parents’ “Solutions” Shut Teens Down
Parents often jump immediately to:
“Have you tried meditating?”
“Go outside.”
“You’ll be fine.”
…all well-intended but often perceived by teens as invalidation.

What teens actually need first:
To feel heard, seen, and understood.
Not fixed.

3. Why Setting Matters: Conversations Work Better Without Eye Contact
Sophia encourages parents and clinicians to switch the setting:

• Talk in the car

• Go for a walk

• Sit side-by-side instead of face-to-face

• Do something together (cooking, errands)

• Teens often open up when the pressure to “perform” disappears.
  

4. Is It Real Anxiety or Just Teenage Stress?
Sophia recommends observing two dimensions:
Frequency
How often is the anxiety occurring? Once a year? Weekly? Daily?

Severity
Does the teen…

• push through the discomfort?

• have panic attacks?

• avoid school?

• stop socializing?

• withdraw from activities they once enjoyed?
  

The combination of frequency + severity helps determine when outside support is needed.

5. When Parents Should Seek Outside Help
Consider professional support when:

• The teen’s functioning is significantly impacted

• Anxiety leads to avoidance

• Emotional regulation is deteriorating

• Struggles persist despite supportive conversations

• The teen asks for help
  

Sophia adds: any time a teen expresses willingness to talk to someone, seize the moment.

6. Highly Sensitive Kids: What Parents Should Know
Being sensitive does not mean a teen is destined for anxiety.
Key protective factors include:

• Coping skills

• Emotional literacy

• Supportive relationships

• Regulation strategies

• Healthy modeling from adults
  

Sophia encourages parents to meet sensitivity with attunement, not fear.

7. The Home Environment and Anxiety: Why Parents Must Do Their Own Work
Sometimes a teen’s anxiety is shaped by the overall emotional tone of the household.
Parents can help by:

• Managing their own stress

• Seeking therapy or support

• Modeling boundaries

• Practicing self-care

• Normalizing help-seeking

Teenagers learn more from what they see than what they’re told.

8. Three Repeatable Moves for Parents
Sophia offers three concrete steps parents can start today:

1. Respond with curiosity, not solutions
Use open-ended questions:
“Tell me more about that.”
“What was that like for you?”
“How did you get through it?”

2. Keep the door open
Even a 30-second conversation is progress.

3. Collaborate instead of rescuing
Work with the teen, not for the teen.

9. What If Your Teen Refuses Therapy?
Sophia cautions against forcing therapy unless safety requires it.
Instead:

• Ensure the parent has their own support

• Avoid enabling patterns (e.g., rescuing from academic consequences)

• Offer choices: therapist style, format, specialties

• Revisit conversations over time

• Normalize therapy as one option—not the only option

• Support must feel collaborative, not imposed.
  
  10. The Lightning Round: Quick Takeaways
  
  Are phones the main driver of anxiety?
  No — it’s multifactorial.
  Is labeling anxiety helpful?
  It depends — labeling can empower or enable.
  Do school accommodations risk over-accommodating?
  Sometimes.
  Can sleep/exercise reduce anxiety in two weeks?
  Often yes, but it depends.
  
  11. What Parents Can Try Tonight
  Sophia recommends starting with:
  The “Open Dialogue” chapter from her book — a guide to asking questions that create trust, connection, and emotional safety.
  It’s the foundation for every other technique.
  
  Resources Mentioned
  Calming Teenage Anxiety by Sophia Vale Galano
  Available via Amazon, Penguin Random House, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.
  Sophia’s website: sophiagalano.com
  
  Closing
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