Anxiety Disorders

Overview

This lesson builds on earlier work about mental wellbeing and resilience by focusing on anxiety disorders: common types, how symptoms can show up in daily life, and how students can identify effective coping and support strategies. Students will use the Health inquiry model to move from understanding to an action-focused response in a personal context.

Learning intentions

• Students will describe key features of anxiety disorders, including common symptoms and potential impacts on daily life.
• Students will recognise how anxiety can influence wellbeing, functioning, and resilience.
• Students will investigate coping and support strategies that promote help-seeking and strengthen personal resilience.
• Students will begin planning an evidence-informed response using the Health inquiry model.

Success criteria

• I can name and distinguish at least three anxiety disorder types using age-appropriate examples.
• I can explain how anxiety symptoms may affect school, relationships, and routines.
• I can identify effective coping strategies and explain why they may help.
• I can link my findings to next steps for support and resilience in a personal scenario.

Curriculum links

• QCAA Health Unit 1 objective: recognise and describe information about resilience in a personal health context.
• QCAA Health Unit 1 objective: comprehend and use the Health inquiry model in relation to resilience in a personal health context.
• QCAA Health Unit 1 Stage 2: plan for action by completing a personal needs assessment through synthesising information about mental wellbeing and resilience as a personal health resource.
• QCAA Health Unit 2 objective: organise information about the chosen topic for particular purposes (e.g., explaining, recommending, or planning).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Hook and prior knowledge check. Teacher shows a short set of statements on the board (e.g., “I feel constantly on edge”, “My thoughts won’t stop”, “I avoid situations because I’m scared something bad will happen”). Students individually choose the two statements that best match “anxiety in real life” and then justify briefly to themselves why.

2. 8–18 min · Direct teach: anxiety types and symptoms. Teacher explains common anxiety disorder categories relevant to adolescents (generalised anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, specific phobias) and links each to typical symptoms (worry/rumination, physical stress responses, avoidance, fear of social scrutiny, panic sensations). Students complete a quick matching task: disorder type → at least two likely symptoms → one example of daily life impact.

3. 18–28 min · Daily-life impact: resilience lens. Teacher guides a class discussion focusing on how anxiety can reduce resilience by affecting coping, confidence, routines, and help-seeking. Students complete a “Impact map” in a notebook: School (learning/attendance), Social (friendships/communication), Self (sleep/energy/mood), Safety behaviours (avoidance, reassurance seeking). They highlight which area is most personally relevant.

4. 28–43 min · Health inquiry model: From questions to findings. Teacher provides a structured worksheet with the inquiry steps (engage/question, gather info, interpret findings, decide action). Students use a scenario (e.g., a student who avoids tutorials and becomes nauseous before presentations) to:

• write 1–2 inquiry questions (e.g., “What symptoms suggest anxiety?” “What strategies could reduce avoidance?”)
• list 3 evidence-informed supports (self-help coping skills, school supports, professional supports) without naming specific brands.

5. 43–52 min · Coping and support strategies: what helps and why. Teacher teaches and models strategy selection using a “Coping menu” approach:

• coping skills (e.g., paced breathing, grounding, breaking tasks into steps, challenge unhelpful thoughts, scheduled worry time)
• support strategies (talking to a trusted adult, school wellbeing team, practising help-seeking language, using safety plans if appropriate) Students choose two strategies from the coping menu for the scenario and write a short justification for each (how it may reduce symptoms or improve resilience).

6. 52–58 min · Personal needs assessment mini-check. Teacher asks students to rate (1–5) how confident they are to use strategies and seek support if anxiety increases, and asks them to note one barrier (e.g., fear of judgement, not knowing who to ask). Students write one sentence answering: “My next step to build resilience is…”

7. 58–60 min · Exit ticket. Students submit an exit ticket with two prompts:

• One anxiety feature I can clearly identify
• One action I would take to support resilience and help-seeking

Resources

• Board/projector for scenario statements and templates
• Anxiety disorder overview handout (teacher-prepared, no external links)
• Student worksheet for Health inquiry model steps
• Notebook or booklet for “Impact map” and coping menu selection
• Coloured pencils/highlighters
• Timer
• Optional: anonymous question slip for students who need extra privacy

Assessment

• Formative matching task (disorder type to symptoms and daily impact) checked during step 2
• Worksheet review focusing on correct identification of symptoms and realistic daily-life impacts (steps 3–4)
• Exit ticket to confirm understanding of one feature and one actionable support step (step 7)

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters for the inquiry questions and strategy justifications (e.g., “This could be anxiety because…”, “A supportive action is…”).
• Offer a simplified scenario version with more explicit details for students who need extra scaffolding.
• Extension for students who finish early: add an additional inquiry question and propose how they would evaluate whether a strategy is working after one week (e.g., tracking sleep, avoidance behaviours, or confidence).
• For sensitive learners: allow students to use a hypothetical example rather than a personal one; remind students they can talk to a trusted person if this topic brings up concerns.