How we help young people with anxiety

Two young people can both be struggling with anxiety for very different reasons. One may have become anxious after bullying or a difficult experience. Another may be struggling with change, pressure, perfectionism or uncertainty. Sometimes there is no obvious starting point at all.

That’s why we don’t begin by assuming we know what’s causing a young person’s anxiety, or simply telling them there is nothing to worry about. We take time to understand what they’re experiencing, when the anxiety tends to appear and how it’s affecting their life.

Therapy can help a young person make sense of their worries and fears – and develop practical ways to cope when anxiety becomes difficult to manage. Depending on the young person, that might involve exploring what lies behind their anxiety, learning to recognise patterns and triggers or gradually becoming more comfortable with situations they have started to avoid.

Our therapists draw on psychodynamic psychotherapy, integrative therapy, play therapy and CBT-informed approaches. The way we work depends on the young person, their age, their circumstances and what they need from therapy. We may help them to:

• understand what triggers their anxiety and how it affects them
• find ways to manage worry, uncertainty and difficult physical sensations
• feel more able to do things anxiety has begun to restrict
• build confidence in handling difficult situations without becoming overwhelmed