Child Therapist Explains: How to Help Children with Anxiety
All children are unique, and for various reasons, some children have a tendency to be more anxious than others. Anxiety comes from different places for kids and can be environmental, genetic, or situational. Helping your anxious child in situations where they are fearful and creating routines and spaces to reduce anxiety from springing up can benefit your child and your family.
As a child therapist, I am here to help. I understand that navigating your child's emotional challenges can be overwhelming. My approach focuses on play therapy, which allows children to express themselves in a safe and supportive environment. Together, we can work through issues like anxiety, tantrums, and other behavioral concerns.
Child Therapist Tip 1: Talk about upcoming situations
Informing your child about upcoming events, such as starting school or a visit to the doctor’s office can help your child feel more prepared and comfortable about the upcoming situation. For younger children, reading books about these events can help normalize feelings and worries for your child. For older children, allowing them to ask questions and reminding them of their past experiences in these situations can help them remember what it was like to experience these events in the past. Give your child enough time to process the upcoming situation.
Child Therapist Tip 2: Ask, don’t assume
It may be easy to conclude that if your child isn’t voicing their worries or fears it means they are doing okay. Sometimes children don’t know how to express their feelings or thoughts or feel they shouldn’t have them. Asking your child how they feel about different situations in the moment and after the fact can help you gather information on what your child’s internal experiences are and how you can support them in the future. For younger children, asking them what their feelings “look like” is a way to help them conceptualize an abstract thing like emotions. You can also use a feelings chart with pictures or drawings and ask the child to choose what they are feeling. Using books that talk about feelings can help a child better understand their own.
Child Therapist Tip 3: Give your child control over what is worrying them
Help empower your child to be in charge of tasks or responsibilities they are worrying about. For example, if your child is worried about forgetting their lunch at home and being hungry at school, invite your child to make a plan about where to put their lunch box so they remember to bring it to school. This helps your child build skills for managing their feelings and helps them feel less powerless in their anxiety.
Child Therapist Tip 4: Know when it’s too much to deal with
Knowing when to seek professional help for your anxious child is important, because early intervention is best when treating anxiety. These are examples of when it would be good to seek professional help for your child:
If your child starts refusing to attend school or appointments
If your child is more tearful or wants to be with you more than before
If your child expresses worries about anything (safety, health, school performance) and isn’t able to be reassured or soothed by you
With these tips, you should be able to help you child better manage their anxiety. If you are needing additional parental support or if anxiety is still difficult to manage, getting additional help from a therapist might help.
Needing help with your child? Contact me today for a free consultation
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About Hannah
Hannah is a Child Therapist and Teen Therapist that specializes treating children with anxiety, trauma, and attachment issues. Services she provides include Play Therapy for Children, Parental Coaching, and therapy for trauma. She also specializes in working with youth who are adopted or from the foster care system. She provides therapy in-person in San Jose, CA.
