Anxiety
What This Might Look Like For Your Child/Adolescent:
“My child is worrying about things that don’t make sense to me. She repeatedly asks me for reassurance and I’m not certain how to respond in a helpful way”
“My child becomes easily tearful, especially after making a mistake. I wish he could be less hard on himself”
“My child is reporting a lot of stomachaches and doesn’t want to go new places or do new things. He is asking a lot of “what if” questions that I don’t know how to answer.”
“I’m noticing that my child is struggling with sleep.”
“My teen is self-conscious. She tends to be comparing herself to her friends frequently—and not in a positive way.”
“My teen puts a lot of pressure on himself to be the best in everything—sports, academics, friendships. I’m proud of his achievements but worry that he is going to burn out.”
How I Approach Treatment
Evidence-Based Interventions Involving the Following:
Building Understanding
We explore triggers for anxiety and get a better understanding of what type of anxiety your child/teen is experiencing.
Calming Strategies
We learn and practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques that your child/teen can use to calm themselves when anxious.
Thinking Strategies
We learn how to notice unhelpful thoughts and engage in more helpful/balanced thinking.
Facing Fears
Anxiety often causes us to avoid things, even things that are important to us or could make our lives better. We practice helping your child/teen face their fears one step at a time.
I have expertise treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and OCD using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Parents are an integral part of the treatment process.