Anxiety in Young Children

[cbella]

Hello,

I have an 8 year old daughter who has had separation anxiety since she was 3 years old. This was only apparent at school/kindy drop off and completely isolated to that event so was manageable, and seemed like a normal and small issue. This year her anxiety has escalated to general anxiety about a whole range of issues such as homework, eating out, food in general, social situations, and more.
She is supported through her school, at home, and by a psychologist and GP.
My questions are:

Does anyone have any recommendations for me as her mother as to how I can best help her. It seems to be getting worse despite the above mentioned help, and I am worried that I am not helping her in the right ways.

Are there any cognitive therapy courses/groups/sessions that are available to people her age? Something we can go to once a week so that we don't regress in the therapy i.e. regular reminders of these positive thought patterns.

Can anyone recommend a particular type of guided relaxation meditation for young children. Or a place we could go to do this with a professional to get us started at home.

I am open to hearing all advice.

Thanks in advance to all who reply. It is much appreciated.

[Chris_B]

Hi cbella,

Thanks for joining the forums. Hopefully there will be some others parents with advice, but in the first instance I'd recommend taking a look at the list of organisations on this page of our website:

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/resources/family-and-friends/parents-and-guardians/helpful-contacts-and-websites (please copy and paste the link)

You can also call our support service on 1300 22 4636.

Have you raised these concerns with your daughter's psychologist? If you're looking for solutions that will complement the therapy she's receiving then I would recommend working in conjunction with the psychologist's program.

[cbella]

Thanks for your reply. I am in discussions with her health professionals to try to access some additional therapy. However, I have found in the past that if we try somewhere new that doesn't help/work out/ suit her then this causes more anxiety. I was hoping for recommendations for places that have been tried by other parents. I am sure it will all work out.

Thanks again. This is a fabulous website.

[Chris_B]

Thanks for the feedback. 🙂  Hopefully some parents will read this and be able to offer some tips.

It may be worth trying the Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria >  http://www.arcvic.org.au/ (copy and paste link to your browser).  Although they are based in Vic, they have a 1300 number and they do work with children, so may be able to provide some assistance.

best
CB

_________________________________________

Online Community Manager

[orangetree]

Hi, I have just joined up today as I feel I need to connect with other parents of children with anxiety issues for some support. My son is 10 years of age and has been struggling on and off with anxiety since 2011, and recently he has been experiencing the most severe episode so far. 

Thank you for sharing your personal story, one of the most difficult things a parent may go through is seeing their child/ren in emotional pain.

My son and I have been listening to a fantastic relaxation module called "I can Relax", by Donna Pincus, I found it on Itunes and is available for download for about $12 from memory. We listen to it at bed time, and I do all the breathing and muscle relaxation techniques with him,  it has been working well for both of us.

I hope I have helped in some way! 

C.  

[cbella]

Thanks so much for posting this bit of advice. I have been trying a few relaxation CD's but we haven't struck a chord with any of them yet, so it is great to get a recommendation. 

Thanks again, and best wishes to you and your son. I understand all too well just how exhausting and difficult it is to see your child struggle with anxiety. Good luck to you both. 

[Jods1001]

Thankyou for sharing your story.  My daughter is 9 and has been experiencing anxiety for the last couple of years and at the moment it is probably at it's worst.  She has anxiety over leaving me - when she goes to school, a friends house or staying home with her Dad or brother while I got out.  She is also anxious about eating foods (fear they may make her sick if they are not quite right) and worries about getting sick.  She has a lot of trouble getting to sleep at night lately - and so I found a app for her iPod that has helped her a lot - so I thought I would share it with you.  It's called 'Relax Melodies' by Ipnos Soft.  It's a free app for iPod or iPhone and my daughter chooses what sounds she would like to hear (quite a selection like birds, ocean, piano, butterfly, wind chimes etc) and then you can set a timer (say to 20mins) and it will play the music quietly next to her bed for 20min then switches itself off.  It has definitely helped her getting to sleep over the last week.  Good luck with everything.