Performance Anxiety in Adolescents: The Southfield Center Parent Lecture Series

Wednesday, Nov 14, 2012 at 7:00pm

The Southfield Center for Development

85 Old Kings Highway North, Darien, CT 06820


Performance anxiety is the most common anxiety in the United States. Often referred to as "stage fright," it can have a significant impact on how our children perform academically, athletically, and socially. When performance anxiety interferes with one's ability to face life's daily challenges, it can result in marked underperformance or complete avoidance (such as school refusal or quitting a sports team).

Adolescents are often faced with many stressors that can compound performance anxiety, including struggles with their relationships, academic success, body image, and competition with their peers. Dr. Jeffrey DeTeso, The Southfield Center's Clinical Director of Therapeutic Services and Dr. Lauren Pote, Clinical Psychologist, will educate parents on the causes of performance anxiety and will provide specific strategies that focus on decreasing the interfering emotions and behaviors.