As children are heading back to school, they may be in a new year or be starting school for the first time. Many are settling into the school routine; however, some will be struggling with the separation from their parents.
For children who experience separation anxiety, this can be a challenging time both for them and their parents. It is normal for children to have separation anxiety from 6 months to 3 years old, as they are still in a developmental stage.
There are those children who have a natural disposition to being anxious or worried, therefore that transfer into a new environment increases this and causes distress for all involved.
Anxiety is a natural emotion, such as feeling happy, excited, angry, or frustrated. It also has its uses, as all those other emotions do.
Anxiety is when someone feels scared and/or worried about something, thinks something bad is going to happen, and then becomes pre-occupied with that fear. These feelings and thoughts get in the way of being able to function.
There are many forms of anxiety, the specific one we are offering help with is understanding and therapy for is for those who are struggling to settle back at, or to start, school.
There is a physiological affect that goes along with anxiety, which you may be witnessing in your child. You may be seeing your child acting out of character, for example struggling to go to sleep, waking up in the night, bed wetting, being cross at the smallest of things, not wanting to do what they have always loved, worrying about things they have not done before, regressive actions etc.
Parents play an essential role in helping their children manage their anxiety, and often need help to gain a good understanding of this and learn positive ways to support and help them overcome it.
Many parents I see often say things such as ‘I wish I knew this when my child was younger’, ‘this makes so much more sense now I know this’, or ‘I feel so overwhelmed by my child’s distress and I don’t know what to do to help them’. This is a common theme for parents, and they all just want the best for their child.
Anxiety is a problem when it starts to get in the way of a child and family’s everyday life. We know that anxiety in children which continues outside of the normal parameters can affect that child’s confidence and self-esteem.
At TCT we can offer friendly and timely advice and support for families from our experienced team as they struggle with separation anxiety.
For more information please contact TCT's Family Team. Details about our Family Team can be found using the link below.
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