Will I be able to keep up with what I’m supposed to be learning? Will I like my teachers? Will I fit in with my friends? Will I make new ones?
These are just a few of the questions that fuel back-to-school anxiety for kids. Whether they’re preparing to advance a grade, enter a new phase of their educational journey — like starting middle or high school — or anticipating unfamiliar academic challenges, the lead-up to that first big day can be nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, Janelle Adams, MA, LMFT, ATR, offers help and strategies to help kids gain confidence and look forward to the first day of school, rather than dreading it. This makes for less nervous parents as well!
At In Touch Counseling, we’re ready to empower your child with effective anxiety-reducing tools.
Whether you’re a parent stressing about leaving your kindergartner for their first day at their very first school experience or you’re dropping your ninth grader off at their first day of high school, there’s bound to be jitters on both your parts.
If your child is naturally more anxious, things will feel ratcheted up, but even kids who are thrilled about returning to school can have simultaneous feelings of anxiety.
Factors that can incite dread and worry include:
Some things parents can do to help their child transition back to school well include conveying to them that you have faith in their ability to handle the situation, getting back into bedtime and other routines well before school starts, and simply listening and responding supportively to their concerns.
At In Touch Counseling, Janelle Adams, MA, LMFT, ATR, addresses your child’s back-to-school worries with respect, evidence-based approaches, and sensitivity. Her holistic techniques mean that your child is met where they are, psychologically and developmentally.
Childhood is an important time that influences our adulthood more than we may think, and seeking help for your child if they’re struggling is very wise. Though our children are resilient, getting help from an experienced therapist who can be an outlet for them to talk about their feelings and what’s going on in their lives — who isn’t their parent — can be transformative.
Janelle is eager to connect with your child through:
Though we will address easing the challenge at hand for your child — feeling anxious about going back to school — our work also provides support and strategies they can use in the future and into adulthood that are effective no matter what problem they’re facing. In other words, we want to provide support for this issue while also helping your child flourish overall.
There’s still time to schedule with Janelle before school starts. Contact her by calling the In Touch Counseling office in Camas at 360-205-5236 to schedule an appointment, or book one online.
