Is your child very worried about the future and about bad things happening?

• Are your child’s fears impacting their life?

• Is your child frequently seeking reassurance from you?

• Is your child no longer interested in participating in activities they used to enjoy?

You may be experiencing increased worries, feelings of frustration, or a sense of helplessness as you are not sure what else you can do to support your child. After all, you have tried comforting them when they felt upset and provided them with strategies to use when feeling fearful, irritable, or anxious. Although this was never your intention, you have noticed speaking more on their behalf, completing more tasks for them, and allowing them to skip activities to keep the anxiety or fear in check. You are becoming more and more aware that you’re putting the needs of yourself and other family members on the back burner, as you care about your child and want them to stop suffering.

Parenting is hard and caring for your child experiencing anxiety is just as important as your needs being met.

A couple facts about anxiety

Anxiety can show up as extreme fear or worry and you may have noticed changes in your child's sleep, behavior, eating, or mood. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7.1% of children (ages 3-17) are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Possible causes of developing an anxiety disorder include such factors a child’s brain chemistry, learned behaviors, life situations, and genetics.

You may have also noticed any of the following in your child:

• Your child struggles with falling asleep at night

• Your child reports such physical symptoms as fatigue, headaches, and stomachaches

• Your child experiences sudden, intense, unexpected fears and they feel jittery, dizzy, and experience shortness of breath in those moments

• Your child seems less interested in spending time with family members and friends

• Your child is overly self-critical and has self-esteem issues

• Your child avoids social situations and will only speak to trusted family members

So how can therapy help?

It might be difficult to imagine right now that your child will begin to manage their experiences more successfully, however, therapy has been found to be effective in treating anxiety in children, as it provides a space for a child to:

• Learn to express themselves in healthier ways

• Work through what is troubling them

• Develop helpful coping skills to manage their anxiety

• Build their confidence

Your support and participation in therapy is crucial and we will work together to explore your child’s needs and ways to integrate individualized tools and strategies to foster your efforts of supporting your child at home.

The primary therapy approach for children ages 3-12 at Meadow Grove Counseling, LLC is Child-Centered Play Therapy. Other approaches, such as sand therapy, mindfulness-based activities, cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, and parenting strategies are typically integrated to promote healing and growth.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

After reviewing this information, you may feel ready to schedule a therapy intake appointment for your child or you still may have some concerns or questions. I encourage you to reach out for a consultation, so that we can explore together if child therapy may be appropriate for your child and if we are a good fit.