This is an activity to help children deal with small anxieties.

I would only use this if the problem was a simple one. I have used this method with children who enjoy the practical act of locking up their problems.

We then throw away the key. Great fun! A little bit of theatre is a good thing.

It is all about getting the child to imagine that the problem cannot return . We have control over managing the problem. It is all in our control and we choose to remove the problem

I remember several years ago using this activity with a child. When I spoke to her as a teenager, she told me how she imagined locking away her problems and this strategy still helped her with issues. The key remained a big focus in her mind.

I have seen this work with burying the problem that is written on paper or ripping it up. It is about finding a practical and reasonable way of disposing of the anxious thought.