- Does your child have difficulty going to bed at night?
- Does he get anxious in new situations or around people?
- Does he have excessive worry most days of the week, for weeks on end?
- Does she have trouble sleeping at night or is there sleepiness during the day?
- Do you notice restlessness or fatigue during waking hours?
- Is she irritable and cranky?.
If you have a child who struggles with anxiety you know how difficult it is to watch them struggle. Your child is sensitive and may even feel a little fragile. You worry about him because he worries. It hurts to see her hurt. Her anxiety doesn’t just impact her, it impacts your family too. As her parent you have been doing your best to help, but her anxiety is still there. Some forms of anxiety your child may be experiencing include:
- Generalized Anxiety
- Phobias
- Panic Attacks
- Obsessive-Compulsive
- Social Anxiety
- Separation Anxiety
There are so many kids who struggle with anxiety and worry. It is not just an adult problem, but unfortunately most kids don’t get the help they need to feel better. The good news is that counseling can help your child manage or alleviate her anxiety. It can also help you know how to best support her as the parent. At MVP, we have counselors who specialize in working with children with anxiety. Depending on the age of your child and what is most therapeutically appropriate, we are able to incorporate play, talk therapy, or EMDR (if you want to read more about any of these therapies check out our blog about anxiety and parenting). We are grateful to have training in the treatment modalities that best help kids work through their anxious feelings.
Still uncertain about counseling?
It can feel totally vulnerable to take your child to a counselor. At MVP, when we work with children you are an important part of the process. Please always feel free to ask us any questions you may have about the process. We are your partner in helping you help your child. There will often be skills we talk with you about so you can support your child at home. In addition, your relationship with your child is of utmost importance for their well-being so we may even work on strengthening your bond!
When you have kids, life is intense. There is school, homework, extracurricular activities. It is hard to imagine where counseling will fit into all of this! On our end, although we are a busy practice, we do everything we can to make counseling work for your schedule. All of our therapists have both daytime and evening appointments. Because many of the afterschool appointments book up quickly, we will work with you to schedule out some appointment times so you have them reserved for you. This will enable your child to move through his anxiety quicker!
Money can also be a road block for some people when they think about starting therapy. We do everything we can to make sure people can access therapy, including taking HSA and Flex Spending as well as offering an income based sliding scale for families in need. Please let us know if finances are a challenge so we can work with you.
Take the next step
When you have kids it can be easy to dismiss challenges as a “stage” or “phase” and sometimes they are. The difficult thing about anxiety it that it tends to build on itself and spiral into a bigger problem. If you think your child has anxiety, please call 720-583-9332 to schedule an appointment or a free 20-minute phone consultation.