CBT for Anxiety, OCD & Panic in Children & Adolescents
Serving Fairfield County, CT — the Gold Coast and beyond — plus PA, NY & FL
Anxiety
Challenging the "what ifs"
Anxiety is a combination of physical and psychological symptoms that emerge when we are faced with a threat. Anxiety may range in intensity, frequency, and impact on the person. When a person is struggling with anxiety, he or she may experience intense fears coupled with physical arousal, including rapid heartbeat, quick and shortened breathing, and perspiration.
CBT is an effective treatment model for those struggling with anxiety by identifying the negative thoughts which may contribute to the worry and fear. Through CBT, children learn to recognize unhelpful thought patterns, challenge them, and replace them with more balanced thinking.
Techniques include cognitive restructuring, gradual exposure to feared situations, relaxation strategies, and building a toolkit of coping skills that children can use independently.
OCD
Ungluing your sticky brain
As the name suggests, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are intrusive, often disturbing thoughts or images that are difficult to get rid of and cause a lot of anxiety. Compulsions are behaviors or rituals that a person performs to temporarily reduce the anxiety caused by the obsessions.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for OCD. ERP involves gradually facing feared situations or thoughts without performing the compulsive response, allowing the anxiety to naturally decrease over time.
Treatment is collaborative and compassionate. Children and families are educated about OCD, and therapy is paced to each child's readiness and comfort level.
Panic Attacks
Riding the wave
Panic attacks can occur in a wide variety of situations. For example, agoraphobia is anxiety about being in places in which escape might be difficult, embarrassing, or when help may not be available in the event of having a panic attack (either unexpectedly or by a predisposed situation). Individuals with agoraphobia tend to seclude themselves within their homes.
Some can venture further from their places of safety only if they have a friend or close relative with them. Thus, the individual will often isolate and avoid all potential situations in which they may fear a panic attack may occur.
CBT for panic disorders aims to challenge and reduce the person's belief in the danger of their symptoms and the world around them. Children learn to understand the physiology of panic, identify triggers, and use breathing and grounding techniques to manage symptoms.
Depression
Finding light in the midst of darkness
Not all depression looks and feels the same. Depression may vary greatly in intensity level, the amount of time you have felt depressed, and the number of noticeable periods you have felt depressed.
It is important to note that all types of depression, mild through severe, have the potential to significantly affect your life (e.g. your ability to function at school or the quality of your personal relationships).
CBT for depression helps identify and challenge the negative thought patterns that maintain low mood, building skills for behavioral activation, problem-solving, and developing a more balanced perspective.