Anxiety and stress are a normal part of childhood. Worry, nervousness, and hesitation can be helpful in small amounts and often come and go as children grow. It may be time to seek support, however, when anxiety begins to cause significant distress or interfere with a child’s ability to engage in daily life.
Children experiencing problematic anxiety may avoid situations their peers are participating in, struggle with separation, become overly reliant on reassurance, or experience intense worry that is difficult to manage. For some children, perfectionism and fear of making mistakes can prevent them from taking healthy risks, participating fully at school, or engaging socially.
Treatment for anxiety and stress in adolescents is tailored to the child’s developmental level, temperament, and specific concerns, and parent involvement is incorporated when appropriate to support progress outside of sessions.
Dr. Murray provides evidence-based treatment for childhood and adolescent anxiety using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Treatment begins with a careful assessment to understand how anxiety is presenting and what factors are driving it. This allows for an individualized treatment plan that targets the underlying patterns maintaining anxiety, rather than simply addressing symptoms at the surface level.
Dr. Murray works with children and adolescents experiencing a range of anxiety-related concerns, including generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, panic, phobias, perfectionism, school avoidance, and related difficulties.
When anxiety begins to limit a child’s ability to engage fully in daily life, targeted, evidence-based support can help.
