Is your Child or Teen struggling with Anxiety this School Year?

The 2014-2015 school year is now in full swing. Children and teens are working on assignments, preparing for the first tests of the new year, and also trying to balance different extracurricular activities such as sports, music, theater, and scouts, just to name a few. It is important for our young people to be well-rounded and to be exposed to different experiences. However, on occasion, children and teens can become overwhelmed and anxious in the midst of everything going on in their lives.

Here at New England Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Psychiatry, we know that Anxiety comes in all different shapes and sizes. It can emerge in different circumstances, and at different times for every child or teen.

In some cases, a child or teen may have Social Anxiety brought on by the pressures to fit in with their peers at school. Other children may find that their Anxiety is brought on by test-taking and a fear of failure.

There are many different types of Anxiety, and they are each characterized by different symptoms.

Children and Adolescent Programs at NECBT

The 2014-15 school year has begun. At this time of year, children and teens may find themselves feeling anxious or depressed, either from the new added stressors from school, or even from social situations in which they feel uncomfortable. In some cases, families may be discovering for the first time that a child has symptoms associated with ADHD. Others may simply need help learning how to better manage their stress. At NECBT, we can help children, teens, and their families get on the right track this school year.

Treating children can be challenging. In fact, a child’s brain is not fully developed until his or her mid-twenties. At New EnglandCenter for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy our philosophy for treating children and adolescents is to highly involve the parents and/or guardians. We have had a lot of success with this approach to children’s therapy. Parents are taught the same I-CBT used in individual session as well as how to use evidence based reinforcement techniques to encourage preferable behaviors.  Parents are then better equipped to handle their child’s behaviors outside the office setting. 

For more about I-CBT, a hybrid of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Emotional Intelligence developed by American Psychotherapist Thomas A. Cordier, please see last week’s post here.

TED Talks, NPR, and Inspiration: All About Stress and Anxiety.

Even on a day off, we may be plagued with stress.

We all face stress and anxiety from time to time, and some of us deal with them daily. It seems that everywhere we turn these days, people are talking about stress and how best to handle it. 

For many summer may be a time for vacation and relaxation, but stress and anxiety do not always get the memo and take that break with us. Our minds still race, our muscles tense, and yes, whether at home or some new, exotic location, worries do not take a break.

With this in mind, today on the NECBT blog, we offer a small selection of some of our favorite mainstream work from the internet about dealing with stress and anxiety. Please feel free to leave us comments, or links to pieces on stress that you may have found in your internet travels, that you would like to share.