Michael Tompkins

Once youth reach school age they face a stream of formal and informal performance situations, such as tests, sports competitions, recitals, interviews, in-class presentations, dating, and parties. Most youth master sufficient performance experiences by the time they reach adolescences such that performance anxiety is within normal limits.

However, some youth experience performance anxiety that is so high that it can decrease their success in the classroom, on the playing field, or on the stage. Decreasing Performance Anxiety in Adolescents: Parent-Assisted Strategies that Strengthen Self-Efficacy examines performance anxiety through the lens of self-efficacy beliefs and describes simple strategies parents can use to decrease their teen’s performance anxiety by strengthening their teen’s self-efficacy beliefs.

Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, ABPP is a licensed psychologist and board certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology. He is co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, a faculty member of the Beck Institute for Cognitive and Behavior Therapy, and a Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

He is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and sixteen books, including, My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic (Magination Press, 2010), a Magination Press best seller awarded the 2011 Self-Help Seal of Merit from the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

Dr. Tompkins serves on the Advisory Board of Magination Press, the children’s press of the American Psychological Association and on the editorial board of the Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. He provides trainings to national and international audiences on cognitive-behavior therapy and related topics.