If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child or teen may be suffering with an excessive amount of anxiety.
Anxiety is an emotion that we all experience from time to time to varying degrees of intensity. Just like joy, disappointment and frustration, anxiety is a feeling that comes and goes and is usually in response to an identifiable stressor or experience.
It is when anxiety becomes very intense and remains at that intense level for a significant amount of time that it can affect your everyday functioning. If your child or teen experiences an intense, chronic sense of nervousness or worry and it is negatively impacting their functioning at home, school or in relationships, we are here to help.
Once anxiety reaches clinical levels, it can fall into various categories. Some children and teenagers may feel overly worried and anxious when separated from a parent while others are very fearful of entering social situations like going to gym class or a birthday party. Some kids and teens are afraid of specific objects, animals or situations while others experience a sudden surge of anxiety that turns into a panic attack. Some children and teenagers have difficulty speaking in certain social situations like in class while others have fears of leaving their home or avoid school. Some might experience chronic worry about a number of activities and events and have trouble controlling their amount of worry. Others may have obsessive thoughts and engage in compulsive behaviors as a way of coping with their thoughts.
Excessive anxiety can manifest differently in everyone, especially in children and adolescents. Anxiety may manifest in the ways that are most familiar, like those described above, while it might manifest as anger or oppositionality or withdrawn behavior as sometimes seen in depression. You have an opportunity to help your child or teen take charge of their life and feel better. We are here to help your child or teen take back control and help you to support them as they embark on this healing process.
Anxiety disorders are the #1 mental health condition diagnosed and treated in the United States in children and adolescents. Our highly skilled clinical psychologists can help your child or teen regain power over their life and achieve their goals. Through supportive, insight-oriented psychotherapy coupled with cognitive-behavioral techniques and mindfulness-based strategies, we can guide them through this learning and healing process.
There is no need for your child or teen to suffer any longer. They are not alone. We are here to help them on this path toward relief and emotional health.
