Back to School Support: Kids’ Anxiety Counseling in San Fernando Valley

Across the San Fernando Valley, most schools have been back in session for about a month now. For a lot of kids, that means the jitters that come with the start of a new school year are in the rearview mirror. If you notice that your child or teen still seems to be struggling, it might be time to consider kids’ anxiety counseling.

If you think your child/teen might be living with persistent anxiousness, know that they’re not alone. Anxiety in children and teens has been on the rise. That was true even before the pandemic, which then exacerbated the situation. Today, experts estimate that as many as 20% of kids worldwide live with the symptoms of anxiety.

That’s why our team offers dedicated kids’ anxiety counseling at our San Fernando Valley office.

New school year, new fears: Getting started with anxiety counseling

Most kids and teens feel at least some butterflies as the first day of school approaches. With new teachers, new classrooms, new peers, and new subject matter to learn, a new year introduces a lot of unknowns. And that uncertainty can trigger anxious feelings.

For some kids, the nervousness passes once they get into the swing of things. Making friends in their class or reconnecting with old ones often helps. So does establishing their relationship with their teacher(s).

For other kids, though, even as the newness wears off, the anxiousness doesn’t. You might notice that your child or teen still seems to be exhibiting behaviors that show they’re feeling unsettled and uneasy. Some common indicators that they’re dealing with anxiety, not just back-to-school jitters, include the child/teen:

• Asking lots of questions about school, especially ones you’ve already answered
• Regularly voicing worries
• Having irregularities in their sleep patterns
• Saying that they have a stomachache or headache more often
• Having trouble concentrating
• Not wanting to go to school, maybe even faking illness to stay home
• Being restless, often finding it difficult to sit still
• Using the bathroom more frequently
• Having a more difficult time regulating their emotions

If that sounds familiar, your teen or child might benefit from anxiety counseling to support their back-to-school transition.

What to expect with kids’ anxiety counseling in the San Fernando Valley

When you contact our office, our intake coordinator asks some questions about your teen or child and the symptoms you’ve been seeing them exhibit. This helps us pair them with the right therapist. At our Woodland Hills office serving the San Fernando Valley, kids’ anxiety counseling is one of our specialties.

Once we have the first appointment set up, you bring your child or teen. The therapist might meet with both of you together, especially if your child is young, but the bulk of the session will be one-on-one. During the first appointment, the therapist’s goal is to understand what your child/teen is feeling. This helps them develop a treatment plan.

Usually, teen and kids’ anxiety counseling centers around talk therapy, or meeting regularly with a therapist. This talk therapy can help your child or teen better understand what’s making them feel anxious, then develop tools for managing the situation or feeling. Specifically, our therapists often use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talk therapy that focuses on identifying negative thoughts, then challenging or coping with them.

Your child/teen’s therapist builds a safe, private space for them, but they will keep you informed about the treatment plan. If they work on specific coping skills, for example, the therapist might teach them to you, too, so you can reinforce applying them at home.

The back-to-school season can be a stress-inducing one for your child/teen and your family. For support, contact our team about kids’ anxiety counseling at our San Fernando Valley office. We’re here to come alongside you and your teen or child to help them navigate this school year with resources to help alleviate their anxious feelings.