Is Your Child Anxious?
Does your young child become agitated over seemingly minor things?
Does she seem anxious or nervous during different times of the day, such as when leaving for school or going to bed?
Does he have trouble falling asleep as his mind races?
Perhaps he has developed compulsory habits, such as nervous tics?
Do you just wish you could help your child?
Raising a child with anxiety can be anxiety-producing for parents. You desperately want to help him find relief but feel powerless to resolve the situation. Your child may have difficulty functioning and seem to get less enjoyment out of everyday life. He or she might become overwhelmed by fear or worry, but your attempts to offer reassurance and comfort don’t seem to help. Do you wish you could give your child the resources and support he needs to feel happy and confident in his life?
Many Children in New York City Struggle With Anxiety And Low Self-Esteem
Child anxiety is often driven by perfectionism. Many children struggle with low self-esteem for various reasons, and this low sense of self-worth creates an intense desire for your child to redeem himself. He feels that if he can just do an amazing job and get things perfect then he will be acceptable and valuable in his own eyes. This internal pressure creates anxiety and fear of failure as your child demands perfection of him or herself, something that is impossible to achieve. Your child feels, “I must get this done,” or else he feels doomed.
Family conflict can also generate terrible anxiety in children, therefore I always advise having heated discussions with your spouse or partner behind closed doors. Your child may fear that “If Mommy and Daddy can’t get along and leave each other, they may leave me, too.”
Fortunately, help is available. Child anxiety treatment that includes Child-Centered Play Therapy together with Parenting Counseling, can greatly reduce your child’s anxiety symptoms, and even resolve the problem entirely while he or she is still young!
Child Anxiety Treatment through Play Therapy in My Lower Manhattan Office Can Help Your Child Feel Happy And Confident!
Child-Centered Play Therapy is an important component in child anxiety treatment and goes to the root of the problem your child is facing by raising his or her self-esteem and self-confidence. Sessions take place in a specially designed playroom with carefully selected toys. I interact with your child in a way that fosters great emotional healing and personal growth. I don’t instruct or suggest to your child how or what to play. I give him my full attention and, by noticing every small thing he does, I show him how important his activities are to me, the “enlightened witness.” Your child thinks, “Joseph thinks the things I do are important, so I must be important, too.” This makes his feel so great about himself that his anxiety lessens.
During Play Therapy, I demonstrate tremendous respect and acceptance for the decisions your child makes. Instead of focusing on fear and self-doubt, she thinks, “I can make good decisions. I can control my own life.” This is an extremely empowering experience for your child, giving her a greater sense of well-being and decreasing perfectionism and anxiety. In the playroom, I take note of the emotions your child is experiencing and reflect them back, “Oh, you’re feeling angry” or “you’re frustrated”, or “that makes you happy.” This attention and sharing of emotions in an interpersonal venue with someone who truly appreciates his experience, brings great pleasure and satisfaction to your child, greatly reducing anxiety and distressing anxiety symptoms.
To find out more about how Play Therapy benefits a child's emotional health, click here.
Many New York City parents seek child anxiety treatment from a child psychologist or a play therapist!
In addition to Play Therapy, Parenting Counseling can play an important role in child anxiety treatment. You and I will work collaboratively to develop effective strategies to help your child. By learning how to interact differently with your child at home, you can avoid stressors and triggers that generate anxiety. I advise adopting a very relaxed atmosphere in the house and fostering pressure-free interactions with your child. For example, showing your child that he doesn’t always have to get things perfectly right, that plenty of mistakes are acceptable, reduces anxiety. Also, if you as parents are feeling anxious, I would advise you to refrain from showing it around your children, as your experience can lead them to become anxious. With child anxiety treatment, you can give your child the resources and support he needs to feel confident and self-assured.
For a fascinating discussion on how to validate your child's feelings, click here.
But you may still have questions or concerns about child anxiety treatment…
Anxiety seems to run in my family. Doesn’t that means it’s genetic and hard-wired and can’t be cured with psychotherapy?
The truth is that anxiety is a learned behavior that can be “passed on” in families. It could be a child is born with a particularly sensitive temperament and then experiences anxiety-producing events because of slight parenting errors. Children are extremely sensitive and any stress in the home during their early years can lead to increased anxiety. Even babies cry more when there is expressed stress in the home. Anxiety is generated through the environment, and changing your child’s environment through child anxiety treatment, including Play Therapy and Parenting Counseling, will bring about an improvement in symptoms.
I’m not sure I can afford child anxiety treatment...
Child anxiety can be a difficult issue to manage, but early interventions like Play Therapy and Parenting Counseling have been shown to provide lasting recovery and relief. By investing in anxiety treatment now, you are taking steps to ensure your child’s challenges don’t develop into larger, more costly problems when he or she gets older.
I feel like asking for help means I’ve failed as a parent...
It takes courage and wisdom to ask for help when your child is struggling. No two children deal with the same experiences in the same way, and it is natural to need a helping hand as you develop new parenting skills. Why should you and your child continue to suffer from anxiety when you can receive guidance and support from someone who’s been through it and learned how to avoid the pitfalls!
Your Child Can Increase His or Her Self-Esteem And Find Relief!
I have helped many children and parents in N.Y.C. to learn to understand, manage and overcome childhood anxiety. It truly seems like magic how well Play Therapy and Parenting Counseling work to address anxiety in children! But the truth is it is nothing magic, just pure, solid science and proven results.
If you are ready to get started, or if you have additional questions about child anxiety treatment, and would like the guidance of a child therapist in downtown New York City, I invite you to call me at 646-681-1707 for a free 15-minute consultation. I also encourage you to download one of my free reports on childhood behavior issues and join my email list. I look forward to speaking with you!
To find out how Play Therapy helps for child ADHD, click here.
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