Williams Syndrome Anxiety Workshop

Dear  WSAI member,

We would like to inform you about our upcoming workshop on ‘Anxiety in Williams Syndrome’ in the Lucan Spa hotel on Saturday the 27th of February 2016. This one-day workshop is aimed at parents, family members and professionals (e.g. teachers, clinicians) who work with people with Williams syndrome (WS) and who want to learn more about anxiety in WS. The workshop is being organised by a group of researchers from Durham and Newcastle Universities in the North East of England who have special interest and expertise in Williams syndrome and in anxiety in developmental disorders.

Throughout the course of the day the focus will be on issues such as understanding the profile of anxiety in WS (Dr Mary Hanley); problems with identifying and assessing anxiety (Dr Jacqui Rodgers); possible ways to intervene with anxiety in WS (Dr Debbie Riby); and insights from working with people with WS to help them with their anxiety (Dr Fionnuala Tynan). In between the talks from speakers, we will have discussion groups with attendees to hear your opinions and questions relating to the topics covered. Importantly, we will also be hearing from a person with Williams syndrome about their own experience of anxiety (Jarlath Tynan).

The workshop will begin with registration at 10.00 a.m. and we expect it will finish at approximately 4.00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Parking is available at the Lucan Spa hotel free of charge.

The aim of the workshop is promote understanding of issues around anxiety in WS. We hope that it will be useful for families but also for people who work with individuals with in WS in different settings. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to invite your children’s teachers / support workers/ clinicians to attend. The workshop is being funded by a grant from Durham University, and therefore, attendance at the workshop will be free of charge.

However, we have a limited number of places, and therefore we require that you register your attendance with us by emailing to confirm to this address : williams.syndrome@durham.ac.uk . In your email, please confirm how many people will be attending with you and whether you have any dietary requirements. Please can you also confirm your contact email address.

Please note that this workshop is not suitable for WS people – it’s for parents , teachers and support workers to learn more about anxiety in WS.

We are grateful to the support of the Williams syndrome Association of Ireland in organising this workshop.