How Do I Find A Child Anxiety Therapist Near Me?
It’s common knowledge that, as a society, we struggle massively with mental health. Of course, much of that is inevitably anxiety but also, sadly, much of it is suffered by children.
It’s a sad fact that thousands of people in New Zealand go onto Google each year and type in the search term, ‘child anxiety therapist near me’. Because each one of those searches is essentially a cry for help, and no doubt they are just the tip of a much larger iceberg.
Being a parent is hard enough when your kids are happy and thriving. When you have a child with bad enough anxiety that they need a child anxiety therapist, parenting becomes incredibly difficult and stressful. Yet, unfortunately, we live in a time where finding a therapist for a child with anxiety is nearly impossible.
Part of the difficulty many parents find with seeking a therapist for their child is that it is not always easy to know where to go and how to get help, unlike when a child has toothache. When you eventually find a suitable therapist, they are often too busy to see your child, which further reflects our broader struggle with mental health.
So if I am a stressed-out parent with a child suffering terribly from anxiety, how should I go about finding a child anxiety therapist near me? Here are five tips to help find a child anxiety therapist near you and some tips on what to do if you cannot get in with one or find a suitable one.
Word Of Mouth
As is the case with seeking the help of so many professionals, it’s often preferable if you can find someone who a trusted source has recommended—good old-fashioned word of mouth. So a good first step if you are trying to find a child anxiety therapist nearby is to ask around your most trusted friends or family to see if they know a good one.
Bear in mind that potentially you don’t need a therapist specialising in child anxiety per se. A skilled therapist with experience in adult anxiety sufferers will often be able to help with child anxiety. So if you can’t find a therapist who has been personally recommended and who lives near you, this could be an ideal alternative.
Of course, word of mouth isn’t a flawless principle. We are all unique in what we need when it comes to complex topics like mental health; if someone helped you, it doesn’t guarantee they can help me. But still, when we are struggling to find any kind of professional help, word of mouth is the best first possible solution.
Word Of Mouth
As is the case with seeking the help of so many professionals, it’s often preferable if you can find someone who a trusted source has recommended—good old-fashioned word of mouth. So a good first step if you are trying to find a child anxiety therapist nearby is to ask around your most trusted friends or family to see if they know a good one.
Bear in mind that potentially you don’t need a therapist specialising in child anxiety per se. A skilled therapist with experience in adult anxiety sufferers will often be able to help with child anxiety. So if you can’t find a therapist who has been personally recommended and who lives near you, this could be an ideal alternative.
Of course, word of mouth isn’t a flawless principle. We are all unique in what we need when it comes to complex topics like mental health; if someone helped you, it doesn’t guarantee they can help me. But still, when we are struggling to find any kind of professional help, word of mouth is the best first possible solution.
Read Google Reviews for a child anxiety therapist Carefully
There is a lot to be said for Google reviews. Whether you are looking for some decent Ramen or right at the other end of the seriousness spectrum, suffering through terrible concern for your child’s well-being. Google reviews actually can come to the rescue.
Not so long ago, when we needed to find some professional help, all we could do was go to the phone book and pick someone at random. Then came the age of the internet and the search engine. But even then, the fastest horse in the race was often just the business that had invested most heavily on its website; rather than the business who were best at what it did. But that’s where Google reviews came in and caused a small revolution in how we choose services.
Google reviews are not a perfect reflection of a business’s quality but are a fantastic window to peer through. Every child anxiety therapist near you should not only have a website, but they will also have a Google Maps listing; this means that many other parents will have had ample opportunity to leave a review. Reading these reviews could be an excellent way to find the right child anxiety therapist near your home.
Take some time to read your intended therapist’s reviews carefully; you may get clues as to whether their style of care may suit you and your precious little person.
Read Google Reviews for a child anxiety therapist Carefully
There is a lot to be said for Google reviews. Whether you are looking for some decent Ramen or right at the other end of the seriousness spectrum, suffering through terrible concern for your child’s well-being. Google reviews actually can come to the rescue.
Not so long ago, when we needed to find some professional help, all we could do was go to the phone book and pick someone at random. Then came the age of the internet and the search engine. But even then, the fastest horse in the race was often just the business that had invested most heavily on its website; rather than the business who were best at what it did. But that’s where Google reviews came in and caused a small revolution in how we choose services.
Google reviews are not a perfect reflection of a business’s quality but are a fantastic window to peer through. Every child anxiety therapist near you should not only have a website, but they will also have a Google Maps listing; this means that many other parents will have had ample opportunity to leave a review. Reading these reviews could be an excellent way to find the right child anxiety therapist near your home.
Take some time to read your intended therapist’s reviews carefully; you may get clues as to whether their style of care may suit you and your precious little person.
Talk To Your Doctor
A growing number of parents are rightfully concerned about medicating their child’s anxiety, but that should not stop you from at least talking to your doctor. Medical family doctors are great, but they are most certainly not adequately trained to manage mental health or childhood anxiety. Nonetheless, as a gatekeeper to a wide range of excellent health care solutions, your family doctor may be able to recommend a child anxiety therapist near you.
If you are concerned about your family doctor prescribing your child medications for their anxiety, just know that you aren’t agreeing to medicate your child by talking to your doctor. Your doctor may agree that medication isn’t the best option for your child. However, your doctor has a wealth of experience making local referrals for anxiety therapists and maybe a huge help.
Talk To Your Doctor
A growing number of parents are rightfully concerned about medicating their child’s anxiety, but that should not stop you from at least talking to your doctor. Medical family doctors are great, but they are most certainly not adequately trained to manage mental health or childhood anxiety. Nonetheless, as a gatekeeper to a wide range of excellent health care solutions, your family doctor may be able to recommend a child anxiety therapist near you.
If you are concerned about your family doctor prescribing your child medications for their anxiety, just know that you aren’t agreeing to medicate your child by talking to your doctor. Your doctor may agree that medication isn’t the best option for your child. However, your doctor has a wealth of experience making local referrals for anxiety therapists and maybe a huge help.
What If I Cannot Find A Child Anxiety Therapist Near Me?
Try Online
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a considerable number of excellent therapists were already operating by Zoom and Skype. The advantage of ‘talking’ and mental health therapies is that, unlike physical health care, they can often be provided perfectly well over the internet.
Searching the internet for a well-known and respected child anxiety therapist could be an excellent way to find your child’s treatment and care without the need to overcome the old ‘child anxiety therapist near me’ hurdle.
If you decide to seek a child anxiety therapist on the internet, take your time and have a good read of their website content which will give you a good sense of whether their approach resonates with you and your child. Ideally, they would also have some customer reviews that you could read to give you some extra reassurance that they know their onions.
Try Online
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a considerable number of excellent therapists were already operating by Zoom and Skype. The advantage of ‘talking’ and mental health therapies is that, unlike physical health care, they can often be provided perfectly well over the internet.
Searching the internet for a well-known and respected child anxiety therapist could be an excellent way to find your child’s treatment and care without the need to overcome the old ‘child anxiety therapist near me’ hurdle.
If you decide to seek a child anxiety therapist on the internet, take your time and have a good read of their website content which will give you a good sense of whether their approach resonates with you and your child. Ideally, they would also have some customer reviews that you could read to give you some extra reassurance that they know their onions.
Expand Your Search
If you can’t find a child anxiety therapist near you, you may still be able to find someone who does similar work but under a different approach or qualification. There are many different ways to approach childhood anxiety, which are not just limited to Hakomi method or old school ‘talk’ therapies.
A good way to overcome a challenge with finding a child anxiety therapist near you is to just go on Google and put in ‘child anxiety treatment’ or ‘natural treatment for childhood anxiety’ or ‘drug-free treatment for childhood anxiety’. Once you have put in one of these terms, don’t just stick to the first page of Google. Not all the Google gold is on page one. Work through a few different sites and have a good look at what’s out there in your region.
When you type in these broader search terms relating to child anxiety treatment, you will sometimes get Google Maps listings that show up interesting child anxiety treatment options. Once again, some of these may have great reviews, and then you know it could well be worth exploring an option you had not considered before.
Expand Your Search
If you can’t find a child anxiety therapist near you, you may still be able to find someone who does similar work but under a different approach or qualification. There are many different ways to approach childhood anxiety, which are not just limited to Hakomi method or old school ‘talk’ therapies.
A good way to overcome a challenge with finding a child anxiety therapist near you is to just go on Google and put in ‘child anxiety treatment’ or ‘natural treatment for childhood anxiety’ or ‘drug-free treatment for childhood anxiety’. Once you have put in one of these terms, don’t just stick to the first page of Google. Not all the Google gold is on page one. Work through a few different sites and have a good look at what’s out there in your region.
When you type in these broader search terms relating to child anxiety treatment, you will sometimes get Google Maps listings that show up interesting child anxiety treatment options. Once again, some of these may have great reviews, and then you know it could well be worth exploring an option you had not considered before.
Beyond Therapists
There are countless ways to manage mental health challenges like anxiety in children and adults alike. Many of these options can make life so much better for children and parents; surprisingly, these can even be ‘body-based’, so they don’t involve traditional therapy or talking.
- EMRD Therapy is a growing form of treatment that is becoming very popular due to high-quality research that supports it. Research shows that EMDR is particularly good for resolving trauma or stress related to past events that can be part of the reason for a child to develop anxiety. EMDR therapy is very effective but also kind of weird because it involves therapist-led eye movements.
- Hakomi Method is a body-centred approach that combines physical awareness with experiential techniques to promote psychological improvements. Hakomi theory states the body is a window for the unconscious mind, and trained practitioners can help adults and children rise above their anxiety by becoming more aware of it.
- Hypnotherapy is a method of bypassing resistance to change by relaxing the conscious mind, allowing the therapist to channel suggestions for change to a child. Often children can respond more rapidly to techniques like hypnotherapy because the anxiety they carry has far less deep roots simply because they haven’t had it for as long.
- Alexander Technique is a way of helping a child release stress from their body. When we feel anxious, our posture changes which in turn makes us feel more anxious, and so the cycle continues. Surprisingly, many anxiety sufferers benefit hugely from having their past ‘you’ improved.
- Brainwave Entrainment is a way of gently adjusting brain activity to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Researchers found out a long time ago that the EEG brain scans of Buddhist monks showed different brainwave activity to stressed-out civilians. So we know that certain brain waves correspond to happy, relaxed states. Brainwave Entrainment sessions use gentle pulsing light to reduce fight or flight activity deep in the brain. Repeat sessions often lead people to report radical improvements in their mood and anxiety levels. Parents can sit in on sessions with their children. Unlike many therapy-type approaches, the whole experience is usually found to be very blissful and relaxing.
The above therapies are a few small examples of options for those who fail in the ‘child anxiety therapist near me’ mission. If you live in Wellington or the Lower North Island, you should find numerous clinics and individuals offering these and other services that can help reduce child anxiety.
If you would like to explore Brainwave Entrainment to reduce your child’s anxiety symptoms or simply to help them relax. Our premises are in central Wellington; we’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help further.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!